Fading
by Mittens no Hikari
Summary: [Complete] When shadows begin to cross their path, Serenity and the others dismiss their unease. But when Yugi is struck down by a mysterious ill from an equally mysterious source, will they be able to save him? Or will he fade away... forever?
1. Snowfalls and Shadows

Hi! *waves happily*

I'm back!

*crickets*

Anyway, here it is, the sequel to my first multi-chapter story, "I'm With You." To returning readers: Words can't express how grateful I am to you for giving me the confidence to post stories online. To newcomers: It's not strictly necessary to have read my first story to understand this one. However, you'll probably get it a lot better if you do that. ^_^ If you don't want to, but still want to read this, then say that in a review and I can send you an abbreviated version of my other story.

I really hope this goes okay... 

Disclaimer: Fact: Yu-Gi-Oh is the work of a genius. Fact: I am not a genius. Therefore: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.

_Thoughts_

_/Yugi to Yami_/

_//Yami to Yugi_//

Here goes nothing!

**Fading**

Chapter One: Snowfalls and Shadows 

"Oh, it's snowing!"

Serenity Wheeler let out a quiet cheer as she held out a mittened hand, watching in delight as the tiny snowflakes melted gathered and melted on the purple wool.

"Finally!" Yugi sighed, coming up next to her and looking happily at the overcast sky. His violet eyes caught what daylight remained, sparkling brightly as snowflakes caught in his hair. "I didn't think it was _ever_ going to snow!"

"Took a long enough time," drawled Joey's voice as he exited the school building and came to stand behind his sister and friend. "Maybe now we'll finally get a day off school. These projects are killer."

"Well maybe if you started before the night before everything was due, you wouldn't be having such a tough time catching up," came Téa's teasing voice. Blue eyes sparkled with mirth as Joey shot her a look.

"For your information, I've been workin' on that English paper ever since the day it was assigned, and I still haven't gotten anywhere..." As Téa and Joey walked ahead, bickering, Serenity fell back to walk beside Yugi. For a few minutes they walked in contented silence, eyes fixed on the falling snow. Finally Serenity opened her mouth to speak.

"I love the snow, don't you?"

Yugi smiled and nodded, eyes fixed on the gray sky as it let its thousands of snowflakes drift softly to earth. "It makes everything so white and pure-looking," he said. He glanced sideways at Serenity and continued with a mischievous smile, "And it _is_ nice to get a day off school once in a while."

Serenity laughed and swatted him playfully. "That's not the point, Yugi! It's so peaceful and soft, and it makes me feel like nothing can ever go wrong, you know?"

Yugi nodded. "I know exactly what you mean. And that's a great feeling to have, isn't it? Especially with Marik around and everything..." he trailed off, eyes going briefly vacant. Serenity waited patiently. Finally Yugi blinked and looked back at her.

"What's up?" Serenity asked, slightly confused when Yugi didn't say anything.

"It's nothing," Yugi said, voice sounding strangely far away. 

Serenity stopped walking and put her hands on her hips. "Yugi, didn't we go through the whole 'it's nothing' thing in the Shadow Realm before? As your _girlfriend_..." she paused, waiting for the customary reaction. When Yugi blushed brightly, she continued, satisfied. "... I want to know if something insane is going on. I don't want you to go through anything like that again..." she stopped, the sudden lump in her throat preventing any more words.

Yugi gave her one of his "Serenity-you-worry-about-me-too-much" looks. "It's over now," he said quietly. "We don't have to worry about that anymore, and I'm fine, aren't I?"

Serenity sighed. "Technically, you aren't even supposed to be out of the hospital yet, remember?"

Yugi grinned, eyes sparkling. "True," he admitted. "But they really had no logical reason to keep me there any longer, did they? I'm sure they've had patients break out of their hospital rooms before..."

Serenity rolled her eyes, but couldn't quiet prevent herself from smiling. "And it was ever so courteous of you to leave that note explaining where you were going," she said, feigning a solemn voice.

"Well, it's better than nothing! And I never could have gotten out if all you guys hadn't distracted the doctors and nurses," Yugi said defensively, his breath forming small clouds in the frigid winter air.

"Oh, now it's our fault that you broke the rules?" Serenity said, equally defensive.

Yugi nodded, his face mock solemn and his violet eyes dancing with mirth. "You should know to talk me out of things like that," he said, looking so uncannily serious that Serenity burst into giggles.

When her laughter had subsided, she remembered suddenly the start of this conversation. "Honestly, though. What _did_ Yami say?"

Yugi shot her a pleading look. When she refused to back down, he sighed, resigned, and ran a hand distractedly through his hair. "All he said was that he senses a disturbance approaching," he mumbled so softly that Serenity could scarcely catch the words.

But catch them she did. "You can't be serious..." she trailed off. All the laughter was gone from his violet eyes. He looked instead... worried. For a brief moment she stood there in silence, searching his face for some indication of a joke. _Yugi wouldn't joke about something like this,_ she realized unhappily. 

Yugi forced a smile. "Honest, that's all he said. We don't even know if he knows what he's talking about."

_//I resent that.//_

_/Yami, this is serious._/

_//Do you think I don't know that? I'm the one that senses it, after all._//

Yugi shook his head. He looked at Serenity and smiled, a real smile this time. "Hey, don't worry about it. What happens, happens. We'll meet it when it does."

Serenity sighed and nodded in agreement. "You're right, Yugi. Let's talk about something a bit more cheerful, shall we? Like... say..." she cast her mind around for a light, airy subject. "The winter formal!"

Yugi's eyes widened and he looked at the ground, feeling a blush creeping into his face. As he focused determinedly on the ground, the sidewalks completely obscured by the thick blanket of fast-falling snow, he heard his Yami's voice in his head, sounding very amused.

_//Yugi, just ask. You know she'll say yes._//

_/I can't, Yami! What if she doesn't want to go?_/

_//I highly doubt that. Now ask her, or I'll take over and do it for you._//

Yugi let a panicked noise escape his throat as he snapped his head up. Serenity, used to long silences, was waiting expectantly for the conversation to begin.

"Serenity?" Yugi squeaked out, his face reddening further. He opened his mouth to speak again but nothing came out.

"Yugi, are you okay?" Serenity asked confusedly, blinking snow from her eyes. 

_Just ask._ Yugi took a deep breath, and-

**WHACK!**

Yugi quite suddenly found himself sitting in a large snowdrift, shaking the remains of a huge snowball from the back of his head.

"Direct hit!" cheered a familiar voice.

"Joey!" Yugi shouted in mock anger, stumbling to his feet. "You'll pay for-"

**THWACK!**

A second snowball sailed from out of nowhere and landed squarely in the middle of his face. 

"Gotcha!" Tristan's voice came from behind a nearby park bench. He came out of hiding and grinned, pumping his arm. "Who's the king? Who's-" his words were quite suddenly cut off by a sudden snowball directly on his head. He choked and spat snow from his mouth.

"That'll teach you to say I throw like a girl!" came Téa's triumphant cheer. She and Mai appeared from behind a bush and high-fived.

"Looks like you're surrounded," teased Joey, tossing another snowball in the air and catching it in one hand systematically. "Surrender, Yuge? Serenity?" He did a double-take. His sister and Yugi were nowhere to be seen.

"Not on your life!" came a voice from above Joey's head. He started, missing the snowball, which proceeded to hit him directly on the head. Suddenly piles of snow began to pour down, like a white waterfall from the dark branches of the tree. Joey covered his arms with his head, earning more snow as a result.

"Attack!" cheered Yugi, leaping down from the branches of the tree with Serenity close on his heels. His battle cry was muffled by a snowball in the face, which Serenity immediately countered, hitting Tristan upside the head.

Snow flew back and forth across the park. Joey caught a faceful of snow from yet another of Téa's direct hits, while Mai hit his hand, causing the destruction of his ammunition. Yugi fired a perfect shot that hit Tristan in the shoulder, earning himself a barrage of snowballs from his taller friend, which he proved to be quite adept at dodging. When Bakura walked by, they promptly included him in the war without even telling him first. Bakura caught on quickly, though, and soon was covered in melting snow just like the rest of them. 

The war continued mercilessly, snowballs flying every which way. "Bakura!" Téa yelled out. When he turned to look at her, confused, Serenity proceeded to throw a snowball that sent him stumbling into a tree, laughing so hard he could barely stand. As laughter echoed in the quiet winter air, soft white snowflakes continued to fall from the overcast sky.

***

He watched them from behind the snow-covered branches of a fir tree, eyes narrowed in disgust at the sight. _They play these foolish games, wasting what little time they have left. _

_For they are nearly out of time._

He smiled, a smile full of malice and cunning. Soon... very soon... his plan would be put into action.

_And this time I shall not fail._

_I will make sure of that._

***

"Surrender now, Yuge?" Joey teased, slightly breathless as he held Yugi's arms behind his back.

"Never!" Yugi cried out, earning laughter from his observing friends.

Suddenly someone hit Joey from behind and sent both Yugi and him skidding forward on the ice.  Mai snorted with laughter as Serenity raised a fist triumphantly.

"I'll save you, Yugi!" Serenity cried, striking a dramatic pose for her friends' benefit.

Yugi sat up and shook his head to clear it, blinking dazedly. Then he got to his feet and dropped to one knee dramatically, bowing his head. "For my freedom, fair Lady Serenity, my life and my sword are yours," he proclaimed. His face, uncannily solemn, didn't match the laughter in his violet eyes.

Serenity was attempting not to burst into laughter of her own. "I accept your thanks," she began formally, but she ruined the drama by succumbing to giggles.

"Okay, okay... truce?" Joey panted, getting to his feet and brushing some snow from his jacket. 

"Chickening out, Wheeler?" Mai said smoothly, shaking back blonde hair that had somehow managed to stay perfectly in place and giving him a knowing smile. "I mean, not like I can't see _why_..."

"No way, Mai! I just don't wanna have to subject you all to the deadly assault of Joey Wheeler," Joey retorted, his face flushed and his own blonde hair disheveled.

"Sure, Joey, sure," teased Téa, shaking clumps of snow from her dark hair.

"I'm sorry to say, I need to get home," Bakura said, a smile warming his face. "I'll see you all later, all right?"

"I have to get home too," Tristan added, picking up his abandoned backpack with a sigh and a rueful grin. 

"Same," said Téa and Mai simultaneously. They grinned at each other as they started to follow the boys, who had begun to argue over some insignificant subject or another.

"I guess I better head home too," Yugi said reluctantly, beginning to climb to his feet. He winced suddenly and put a hand to his leg, wobbling slightly. "Ow..." he murmured beneath his breath. He bit his tongue as he tried not to groan.

Serenity's eyes widened as she fought down the panic that seemed to have become so common to her. "Yugi? Are you... is anything wrong?" she asked, trying her hardest to keep her voice sounding normal.

Yugi winced once more and put his leg cautiously to the ground, testing his weight on it. He lifted his backpack, putting it on his slim shoulders and banishing the pain resolutely from his face. "I'm fine, Serenity," he said, fixing her with that violet gaze that stopped her rebuke in its tracks. "Honestly. My leg just cramped up or something." He gave her that smile that could have melted the snow on the ground.

"If... you're sure?" At Yugi's firm nod, she began to walk alongside him, green eyes focused on the slowly disappearing figures of her brother and friends. 

Yugi opened his mouth to make some sort of small talk. Suddenly a deep voice emanated unexpectedly from his mouth, breaking the stillness.

"Serenity, will you-"  He paled and clapped a hand over his mouth, effectively turning the remaining fateful words into an incomprehensible mumble.

_/Yami?!? What are you_ doing?/

_//I told you that if you didn't ask her, I would. Are you going to do it yourself or not?_//

_/That's not fair, Yami._/

_//I'm waiting._//

Yugi gave up on reasoning with his darker half. He took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "Serenity?" he squeaked.

Serenity stopped walking and turned to face him. "What's up, Yugi?" Her olive eyes were questioning.

"I was... wondering..." Yugi blushed furiously and looked at the ground. "Do you... would you..." He took another deep breath and blurted the words out. "D'you want to go to the dance with me?" He cringed and looked away, waiting for her reply.

Serenity looked at him for a brief moment, her face turning redder than his. Finally a huge smile spread across her face as she nodded joyously, trying to find words. "Of _course_ I do! I was afraid you..." she paused and finished in a rush. "I was afraid you wouldn't ask me."

"So... you'll come?" He had that bright smile she loved so much spreading hesitantly on his face, as if he was daring to hope.

"I'd be an idiot if I didn't." _I have to be the luckiest girl in the world._

They walked in silence for a while, the street lights turning on and illuminating the dim twilight, turning the snow on the ground into a glitter of diamonds. Finally Yugi stopped, shaking snow from his hair. He turned to her with a worried look in his eyes.

"Do you want me to walk you home? It's getting dark..." he left the rest unsaid and waited for her reply. Serenity noticed suddenly he was wincing again and trying not to stand on his left leg. _Yugi, what's wrong?_ Instead she made herself smile. "It's okay, Yugi. I'll catch up with Joey. You know, I'm not the only one who worries too much."

Yugi blinked up at her, feigning complete oblivion. "Who, me?" he queried innocently, eyes sparkling with mirth.

Serenity merely giggled and kissed him on the cheek, both turning red moments afterward. Yugi was the first to speak.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"See you," Serenity replied, watching as he turned left, heading toward the Game Shop. She began to walk forward again, when she heard- "Be careful walking home!"

"You too!" she called back, suddenly worried. _What if those freaky Rare Hunters show up again? Maybe I should-_

"You love him very much." 

"Excuse me?" Serenity snapped her head around to see a woman standing in her path. Her face was covered, except for her eyes, which looked faintly blue behind her thick glasses. Her raven-black hair looked as if she had tried to twist it into a knot, but had somewhat failed. It swirled around her, borne by the freezing December winds. She was clothed all in white, giving her somewhat of the appearance that she was part of the snowstorm.

"I said, you love him very much. And he loves you." It wasn't a question.

"Who are you?" Serenity demanded. _How does she know me?_

"Who I am is not important. There is peril afoot, especially for him." Her voice was smooth, but carried a hint of urgency behind the cool exterior. It sounded more like a plea than a statement.

"Why? What's happening?" Serenity's voice was shaking. _I have no idea what's going on..._

Instead of answering, the woman stepped forward, feet making no sound on the freshly fallen snow. Serenity tensed, ready to run if necessary, but the woman merely pressed a cloth-wrapped object into her hands.

"What is this?" Serenity asked suspiciously, backing away slowly from the woman. The object had an odd shape and was strangely heavy. The rough cloth was tightly wrapped, and the package was tied with a long cord. Serenity looked at it closely, intrigued in spite of herself. She began to pull one of the knots out, but the cool voice stopped her.

"Do not open it now. You will know when you need it."

Her words were as calm as before, but Serenity felt suddenly that she really ought to do as this strange woman said. She looked at what she held again. _What on earth...?_ "How do I..." she looked up. "Hey! Where are you?" The woman was suddenly gone, leaving her quite alone on the snow-covered street. 

Serenity looked around. "Hello? I have questions for you!" Nothing answered but the soft whisper of the wind and the far-off cars on some distant street. She shook her head. _What in the world is going on?_ Tucking the cloth-wrapped bundle into her backpack with a mixture of reverence and fear, she shot one nervous look over her shoulder, and then raced to catch up to her brother.

***

The woman watched her go. She whispered, "Please, Serenity. You need to understand." Her words were stolen by the winter wind.

"Did you give it to her?"

The man's voice was accented and brought to mind the hot sand and desert dunes of Egypt. He spoke as coolly as she had pretended to just minutes before.

"Yes, I gave it to her- but what _good_ will it do?" The woman ripped off her head covering and tore off the glasses, revealing startling blue eyes in a tanned face. Her eyes were full of tears of frustration and terror.

"It will have to do." The man did not change his tone.

"Don't you _get_ it?" The woman threw the glasses into the snow and then glared back up at her companion. "She doesn't understand!" Her voice cracked with emotion, but she continued nonetheless. "And we can't lose him! If we do-"

The man silenced her. "He is the Chosen One. We cannot lose him. You are right in that. But our part in this is finished. We have done all we can. You know better than I do, even, that we cannot go beyond the part we were meant to play."

The woman looked down, fire gone from her bearing. "You're right," she whispered. She raised her eyes to where she could see Serenity, who had caught up with her brother. 

"Good luck..."

***

Wow. Was that really boring or what? I really hope not... 

I promise, I do have a plot and it will get more interesting. Who _was_ the mysterious figure in the park? Who _were_ the man and woman? What _is_ happening to Yugi?

Please, drop me a review! Pwease? It'd be a nice early Christmas present!

Thanks for taking the time to read this! Hope to see you soon,

Mittens no Hikari ^_^


	2. Bitter Cold

Hi there! 

Welcome back. I am happy. ^_^ I got reviews! At first I thought no one was reading it- I was considering giving up on it, but with 7 reviews I know there are people out there who still like my writing. Thanks! ^_^

Anyway, there are barrels of thanks to be addressed to the following wonderful people:

**DJ Rodriguez**: *huggles DJ* Thank you _so much_ for reviewing. I'm glad some of my old friends are coming back for the second installment of my little romance. And also, thanks so much for including me in _Christmas on Monster Island!_ ^_^

**Dagger5**: What's wrong with Yugi will be revealed in good time... and by the way, thanks a million for your kind words.

**starfire20042002**: Hmm... interesting guess... we shall see. And thank you for dropping me a review. ^_^

**Jill**: Ehehehe... At first your review confused me, I thought –50 was a bad score. But I think that means it's good, ne? Thanks so much for your review.

**Pooka228**: *blushes* Yay! Another old friend, come back to say hello! I'm so happy you like the story... Thanks a billion for your review!

**Sword Master Jeff**: Thanks for the review! And sure, I'll check out some of your stories. How can I not, when you throw my own words back at me? ^_^

***~KrystalStarLite~***: Hi! Nice to see you back... sort of. I never technically _saw_ you before, but I'm talking hypothetically, unless I'm not, in which case... @_@ Um... thanks for your review! (Yeah, I tend to confuse myself... =^_^=)

Interesting... Everyone seems to think they know the two mysterious figures, but only Jill has a guess for Mystery Figure Number One. Well, we'll see who everyone is in due time...

Disclaimer: *looks in stocking* Drat. I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. 

_Thoughts_

_/Yugi to Yami/_

_//Yami to Yugi//_

This chapter is dedicated to my seven reviewers. Merry Christmas!

**Fading**

Chapter Two: Bitter Cold

"Serenity, if you brush your hair any more, it's gonna fall out!" Joey teased, passing by Serenity's room only to find her running a comb through her long chestnut hair for the fifteenth time. 

Serenity looked away from the mirror long enough to stick her tongue out at her brother. He grinned, leaning against the frame of the door. "Anyway, it's only three," he pointed out. "The dance doesn't even start till seven."

"I know _that_," Serenity replied, somewhat distracted as she peered anxiously into the mirror again. "I just want to make sure I'm ready."

"Sheesh, how long's it gonna _take_?" Joey sighed, rolling his eyes. "D'you really need four hours to get ready for this thing?"

"You never know," Serenity retorted, beginning to lose patience with her brother as, in her nervousness, she dropped her comb. It fell behind her dresser, out of sight. "Oh shoot..." she groaned, banging her elbow onto the hard wood in frustration.

"Joseph, leave your sister alone," Mrs. Wheeler's voice came from the first floor. "You ought to get ready too, you know."

"But Ma, I've got four hours!" Joey protested. "There's no way it takes that long to get ready for a dance..."

"Is your suit ironed?" Joey opened his mouth to reply when his mother's voice floated upstairs again. "Shoes polished? Hair combed? Teeth brushed? Corsage ready? Do you have your-"

"I get it, I get it," Joey said, beginning to look slightly panicked. As Serenity emerged from behind her dresser, she just caught sight of Joey fleeing the room rapidly. She heard his door slam and grinned, eyes sparkling. Then she caught sight of her hair in the mirror and let out a groan. It was dusty and tangled from her sojourn behind the furniture. Serenity threw herself into her desk chair and begin working out the tangles once again.

***

_//Yugi, relax, would you? You're making me nervous.//_

Yami's face was torn between amusement and slight worry as he watched Yugi pace the room, face pale and terrified.

"I never should have asked her," Yugi murmured, more to himself than to his Yami. "I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this... I don't even know how to dance! What if something goes wrong? What if I do something stupid? What if-"

_//-you go there and have a wonderful time and forget all these unnecessary worries?//_ Yami finished for him, making Yugi stop his frantic journey across the room and look in the spirit's direction. The look of terror in his hikari's eyes made Yami smile in spite of himself.

_//Yugi, listen to me, all right? Everything is going to be fine. No one is going to be grading you on how you dance or socialize or whatever else you do at 'winter formal.'//_

Yugi didn't look convinced. "What if Serenity changed her mind? Maybe she doesn't want to go anymore. Maybe-"

_//Yugi, that's highly unlikely. She had two weeks to change her mind. If she hasn't yet, I doubt she's going to all of the sudden. Besides, you two care for each other, so why are you so worried?//_

Yugi drew in a long breath, eyes closed, and let it all out in a rush. "I don't know..." he admitted. 

_//Then stop torturing yourself and finish getting ready. The dance starts in an hour, you know,//_ Yami commented, looking at the clock on Yugi's desk.

"I know, I know," Yugi said, running his hand through his hair distractedly. "I have to get ready now... I'll go find my shoes." 

Yami raised an eyebrow as Yugi went running from his room. _//Yugi?//_

_/Darn it! Where are my shoes?/_ came Yugi's frustrated thought.

_//Yugi?//_

_/I could have sworn I left them-/_

_//YUGI!//_

Yugi was silent.

_//Your shoes are right next to your bed, where you last put them,//_ Yami informed him.

There was an embarrassed pause from Yugi. Then, in a subdued voice-

_/Thanks, Yami./_

_//Don't mention it.//_ Yami watched as Yugi came back into the room. He still looked terrified and nervous. 

Yami sighed. _//Yugi, I promise, everything will go fine. Just please, try to relax. You're going to have a nervous breakdown at this rate.//_

Yugi blinked and finally smiled. "You're right, Yami. I just need to chill out." He took a deep breath. "I'm going to go downstairs and take the corsage out of the fridge, so it's not freezing when I give it to Serenity."

Yami nodded as Yugi left the room. Once his young counterpart was gone, he leaned back against the wall and allowed himself a smile. _He'll be fine._

***

Yugi paused at the top of the stairs. Suddenly his vision blurred, moving in and out of focus. He stumbled forward dizzily, a sharp jolt of pain up his left leg making him draw in his breath sharply. _What's going on? _he managed to think through the haze rapidly descending on his mind. He blinked. Why was the world getting dimmer? It just didn't make sense... One more step and suddenly he was falling. Freezing air blew by his face, the cold creeping from his leg to his spine. Then his head smacked something hard and he knew no more.

***

Yami bolted to his feet when he heard the crash. _What on earth was that?_ He waited briefly, expecting any minute for Yugi to explain what was going on. When nothing came, he sent a message. _//Yugi?//_ No answer. 

Panic jolted through his senses. Something must have happened to Yugi. He darted from the room, passing straight through the wall when the door seemed too inconveniently far away, and took the stairs three at a time, landing lightly on the floor at the bottom. His sharp purple eyes widened when he saw the small form crumpled on the wood.

_//Yugi?//_ Yami knelt down, cursing mentally when he remembered he was nothing more than an ethereal representation of his own spirit, and could do little. _//Yugi, wake up, please!//_ He put a hand on Yugi's face, shuddering moments afterwards. He seemed far too cold for the temperature in the house being what it was.

Yugi's eyes fluttered, a soft groan escaping his lips soon after. He opened his violet eyes halfway, a dazed, pained expression dawning on his face. A small gash had appeared on his forehead, where his head must have struck the stair, but otherwise he seemed unharmed. 

_//Yugi? Are you all right? What happened?//_ Yami ceased his questioning immediately when Yugi's face contorted in pain at the mental noise. 

Yugi, with an effort, pushed himself up by his elbows and steadied his back against the wall. He took a deep breath, and finally managed a weak-sounding, "What happened?"

_//You fell down the stairs, I'm assuming,//_ Yami said, more quietly this time. _//Yugi, what happened? Are you all right?//_

"I just..." Yugi gave up on regular speech. _/I just got really dizzy, I think. I'm not sure why...  And my leg hurt./_

_//Again?//_ Yami looked at him suspiciously. _//Yugi, let's see your leg. Maybe it didn't just 'cramp up' like you claimed.//_

Yugi sighed, rubbing his forehead distractedly. _/All right./_ He slowly rolled up the left leg of his pants, and did a double take. His leg looked as if he'd walked through a patch of brambles with shorts on.

Yami was already staring, eyes both shocked and calculating. _//Yugi, what happened? Did you know you hurt yourself like this?//_

Yugi looked even more shocked than his Yami, if possible. "I had no idea," he whispered, looking wide-eyed at the gashes and scratches running across his skin. "Do you think it happened just now?"

Yami narrowed his eyes. Something just wasn't right about this. Looking at Yugi, he immediately forced a smile. _//It must have. Let's get that bandaged up, don't you think?//_

Yugi nodded, wincing again. "And then I need to get ready for the dance."

_//Are you sure you want to_ go _to the dance after this, Yugi?//_ Yami asked gently.

Yugi gave him a lopsided smile. "Sure I'm sure. After all, I didn't spend all afternoon being scared out of my wits just so that I could fall down the stairs and ruin it, did I?"

Yami couldn't suppress a laugh. _//Of course not. Just be careful, all right?//_

_/I will. I promise./_ Yugi stood up, wobbling briefly. Then he regained his balance and hopped on one leg to the bathroom, leaving his yami staring hard into the distance. Something was wrong. He had seen those marks before... he was sure of it. But where?

***

"Let's _go_, Joey!" Serenity insisted impatiently, hopping as she made a valiant attempt to secure her foot into her high heel. "We're going to be late!"

"We're _not_ gonna be late!" Joey said in exasperation, searching desperately for the keys to the family car. "School's only ten minutes away, for cryin' out loud!"

"Joseph! I found the car keys in the freezer," came Mrs. Wheeler's voice as she entered the room, dangling the small silver object from her hand. 

"Thanks, Ma," Joey said in relief, pocketing the keys and turning to Serenity. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," she said, fidgeting slightly and giving her mother and brother a wavery smile.

Mrs. Wheeler's face softened. "You look beautiful, Serenity. And Joseph, you look so grown up."

Twin blushes appeared on their faces. Joey scuffed his shoe embarrassedly as Serenity self-consciously tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"It almost makes me feel better about letting Joey drive," her mother added suddenly, causing Joey to look very put out and Serenity to grin. "Now get going, you two! Have fun and be careful!"

"We will," Joey and Serenity replied simultaneously as both stepped cautiously out the door and into the night. Snowflakes fell from the sky, like diamonds in the limited light of the street lamps. 

Before Serenity knew it, the drive to school was over. Joey's eyes were flickering from person to person, most likely looking to catch sight of Mai, as he pulled into an empty parking space. The car slid gently to a stop on the blanket of new-fallen snow, and Serenity opened the car door distractedly, attentions now focused on spotting Yugi. So focused, in fact, that she failed to notice the patch of ice directly in front of her.

With striking suddenness, she was sliding, trying desperately to regain her balance. The ice was simply too slick, though, and she was rapidly losing the battle. She heard Joey's exclamation, and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping it didn't hurt too badly-

And she felt someone grab her shoulders seconds before she would have hit the asphalt. Briefly stunned, she didn't move for several seconds. Then she heard a voice that seemed to make the embarrassment of the moment temporarily disappear.

"Serenity? Are you all right?" Daring to open her eyes, she looked into the face of her 'rescuer'. She'd know those violet eyes and that concerned look anywhere.

"Yugi!" she squeaked, attempting to get her balance but succeeding only in losing a shoe to the ice.

"Careful-" Yugi's voice broke in. "You're on a really icy patch. Just take it slow."

Face burning with embarrassment, Serenity did as she was told, letting Yugi gently help her to her feet. Once she was sure she could stand without another mishap, she leaned against the car, closing her eyes in frustration. _Well, I don't think I could have timed_ that _any worse,_ she thought, furious with herself. _I'm sure Yugi's wondering why on earth he asked a klutz like me to the dance-_

She felt a hand tap her shoulder and she opened her eyes. To her immense shame, she could feel tears trembling in them, threatening to spill over.

Yugi looked so concerned that she almost smiled and gave a sort of half-laugh. Encouraged by his near success, Yugi gave her his brilliant grin and then seemed to be struck by an idea. He knelt in the snow and picked up the lone shoe. Staying down on one knee, he held the shoe in the air while lifting up Serenity's bare foot with his other hand. 

"Will the slipper fit?" Yugi queried to the air, evoking another giggle from Serenity. "Will I finally find the mysterious princess who so captivated my heart? Or shall I be forced to forever despair?" 

"Only one way to find out, Prince Charming," came a familiar voice. Serenity looked up, startled. Mai must have shown up when she was in the midst of her ice acrobatics.

Yugi didn't miss a beat. "Indeed, Lady Mai," he proclaimed, pausing to shake his snow-coated golden bangs from his eyes. "Now we shall see..." slowly he slid the shoe onto Serenity's foot. His face lit up. "Could it be?"

Serenity was giggling continually now, her tears all but forgotten. They had gathered a small audience, and everyone began to clap appreciatively when Yugi climbed to his feet. "I have found her!" he informed the crowd. "The slipper is a perfect fit!"

"And they all lived happily ever after," Joey said, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Okay, everyone, show's over..." He shooed the small crowd of students toward the building.

Yugi turned to Serenity. His eyes were full of such warm caring that she felt her insides melt. "Is everything all right?" he asked, drama forgotten.

Serenity nodded. "I'm fine, just glad you showed up when you did," she said. "How'd you get here?"

"Walked," Yugi shrugged. "Legally, I can't drive without an adult in the car, and Grandpa's out of the country." He stopped, his eyes sparkling. "You look beautiful, Serenity," he said sincerely, blushing slightly but keeping his eyes on hers.

Serenity's entire face heated, and a huge smile threatened to take over her expression. She looked down at her dress, a pale rose-colored gown that Mai and Téa had helped her choose. The fabric was glossy, and silver sparkles in the skirt glistened whenever she moved. A gauzy scarf was draped around her shoulders, and her hair hung down her back, all loose but for the front ends, which were up in a ponytail and accented with a spray of baby's breath.

"Well, I had to look special tonight, just to try and keep up with you," she teased. Yugi blushed in turn. _He really does look wonderful..._ Serenity thought. The midnight blue of his suit perfectly accented his deep violet eyes, and his golden bangs flawlessly framed his face. _Did I just say 'flawlessly'? _the practical half of her mind questioned. _Well, who cares? It's true..._ she mentally defended herself. 

Almost at the same time, Yugi and Serenity both sneezed. This seemed to be the cue to move the party into the gym, and they followed Joey and Mai, Serenity keeping a sharp lookout for any further patches of ice.

***

"Wow, Yugi, who knew you were such a good dancer?" panted Joey, who had finally managed to convince Mai to sit one out.

Yugi blushed and looked down. "I'm really not that good, I just-"

"Don't say that, Yugi- I know good dancing, and you and Serenity are totally dominating!" Téa teased her friend, who proceeded to turn an even deeper shade of red.

"You aren't half bad yourself, Téa," Tristan joked, earning himself a reproving swat for his efforts.

Bakura opened his mouth to say something, but was drowned out by the sudden music blaring from the speakers. He shrugged, and when Téa asked him to dance accepted readily. Mai had already dragged a long-suffering Joey over to the refreshment table, and Tristan was off somewhere with his date, Dana.

"What do you think?" Yugi managed to shout over the racket. "Take a break?"

Serenity nodded fervently, but couldn't keep the smile from her face. About five minutes into the dance, she, Mai, and Téa had deposited what Téa whimsically dubbed "the shoes of doom" in the coat room, and since then Serenity and Yugi had danced to every song the DJ had played. She had to admit, she hadn't known Yugi was such a great dancer. People neither of them knew had come up to them and complimented the pair.

Serenity sighed. Yugi looked sideways at her, giving her a questioning glance. Serenity motioned with a jerk of her head, and he followed her out into the hallway, where the pulsing music faded to a dull thud.

"What's wrong?" Yugi asked, sitting down with a deep sigh of relief.

"I just needed a breath of air, is all," Serenity said, sitting next to him and leaning her head on his shoulder with a sigh of her own.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Then finally, Yugi spoke up.

"Serenity?"

"Hmm?" she said in reply.

"Thank you, for making this so incredible for me."

Serenity opened her mouth- she wasn't quite sure what she was going to say- when Yugi's eyes widened, his violet gaze fixed over her head.

"Yugi, what's-" she began to say. She soon got her answer.

"Get back!" Yugi shouted, pulling her off the bench and behind him. Her olive eyes widened as she caught sight of a dark figure in the hallway. He- or she- was clothed all in black, face and hair covered by a hood. Its very presence seemed to leech light and warmth from the room.

"What do you want?" Yugi shouted, all traces of laughter gone from his violet eyes. Instead they smoldered with anger and determination.

The figure made no reply. Instead he moved swiftly forward, grabbing Yugi by the wrist. 

"Serenity, get back in the gym," Yugi hissed over his shoulder.

"Are you insane?" she whispered heatedly. "Yugi, you can't-"

Without warning, the cloaked person slammed Yugi hard into the wall and then tossed him aside without a second look. He made to grab hold of Serenity's arm, but Yugi, seemingly from nowhere, crashed into him, knocking them both to the floor. With a single move, the dark person smashed Yugi's head against the ground, twisted to his feet, grabbed Serenity, and, before she could even scream, had disappeared into the night.

***

"What do you want?" Serenity cried out, struggling violently. As she'd expected, her captor made no reply. He ran, taking a side road and stopping quite suddenly in an alley. There was no apparent reasoning to his actions; he simply halted and stood there in the snow, holding her arms in an iron grip.

"Are you waiting for someone?" She heard what sounded like a brief laugh from her captor. Her eyes widened as she suddenly realized- this man was waiting for Yugi. He didn't want her, or he wouldn't have stopped. He knew Yugi would come after her, so he was waiting in a place where no one from the dance might chance to see what was happening.

Sure enough, as she looked desperately through the blinding snow, she saw Yugi come darting around a corner. He caught sight of her and sprinted across the ice, ignoring it when a blast of wind whipped snowflakes against his face like frozen needles.

"What do you want with her?" Yugi shouted over the howl of the wind. Without answering, the dark man threw Serenity down, into the snow. Yugi immediately ran to her, blocking her from view. "Are you all right?" he whispered, not taking his eyes off their foe.

"Yugi, it's a trap! He doesn't want me, he wants-"

Like a snake striking, the person lunged forward, the silver of a blade flashing in his hand. Yugi didn't move, his teeth clenched and face set. "Yugi!" Serenity screamed, as he stood his ground in front of her.

Yugi let out a gasp of pain and staggered, clutching his left leg. His pants were torn at the knee, the torn fabric on the ground some ways away. The bandages were torn as well, lying ragged on the ground.

Serenity was paralyzed. Every bit of her mind was screaming for her to move, help, do _something_- and every muscle in her body may as well have been stone. Yugi regained his balance and managed a glare. "What do you want?" he shouted again, cringing as his leg sent jolts of pain through his body.

The dark figure was motionless, looking like a black cat about to strike. Suddenly, his motions fluid, graceful, and malicious all in one, he struck a second time.

Yugi did fall this time, to his knees, his face tense with an agonizing pain. The figure threw the knife aside and, in one swift motion, grabbed Yugi by the throat and slammed him against the brick wall. Yugi struggled, but the person's grip was like iron. Serenity finally forced terrified muscles to move, she had to do something, anything-

The person dropped him. He landed on one knee, and staggered to his feet only through adrenaline and determination. The figure backed away, as if satisfied, and then, catlike, whirled and vanished into the night. Serenity just caught a glimpse of something gold in the person's hand. But right now, her concern was for Yugi. 

He had staggered to his feet, trembling uncontrollably. His violet eyes stood out like gems in his face, white from pain. His forehead was bleeding, but he barely seemed aware. He took a single step forward and wavered. Then his eyes closed softly, his knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the frozen ground.

Serenity darted forward, panicked tears welling in her eyes. Gently she lifted him up, cradling his limp form in her arms.

"Yugi..." she whispered, shaking him. "Yugi, wake up!" Her eyes caught sight of his leg, and she suddenly went numb.

Huge slashes wound up his leg, from his ankle to his knee. Several deep cuts were inlaid on either side of the long scar, twisting up his shin. Many of the wounds were bleeding, crimson staining the snow on the ground.

_There's_ no _way that all happened tonight. That's what the guy wanted to see- he wanted to see if Yugi's leg was injured or not. But why? And when did he hurt himself like this?_ Serenity shook herself out of her terrifying revelations and attempted again to wake Yugi up. Again, he didn't move.

"What am I going to do?" Serenity whispered. She touched his face and gasped. He was far too cold for only having been outside five minutes. Suddenly Yugi let out a groan. He began to shake violently, white face showing beyond any doubt the pain knifing through his body.

Serenity wiped away her tears and fought down the panic rising in her mind. Climbing to her feet, she shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. She ran in bare feet to the road, trying not to feel the snow. Waving her arms wildly, she began to scream at the people driving past. "Someone call an ambulance!"

No one stopped. No one even noticed her, for all she knew. She cast a look over her shoulder- soon she'd have to go back to Yugi and possibly carry him to school. Then...

**HONK! HONK!**

A familiar car horn blasted through the night air as Joey's car screeched to a halt. Her brother, Téa, Tristan, and Mai leapt out, ignoring a heavy blast of wind.

"Serenity! What happened?" Joey shouted. Without warning, she suddenly burst into tears.

"Téa! Call an ambulance..." she gasped out. "He wanted Yugi... he's hurt-"

Immediately Téa whipped out her cell phone and Joey and Tristan sprinted for the alley, while Mai wrapped a jacket around Serenity's shoulders. As, far away, the wail of a siren split the sky, as Téa's frantic voice described their whereabouts, as Joey and Tristan returned carrying Yugi's limp form, Serenity only had one thought in her mind.

_What's happening to Yugi?_

As the entire group piled into the car, ready to follow the ambulance to the hospital, Serenity broke down.

_I hope he's all right._

***

*cringes*

Am I in trouble? Is that a cliffhanger? 

Please don't kill me... I wrote an extra-long chapter as a Christmas present!

On a side note, I saw Return of the King today. Can anyone say, _amazing_? The only thing was that I cried at all the sad moments, and all the dramatic ones, and all the happy ones, and all the heart-wrenching ones... which meant I was crying for most of the movie. But that just proves how wonderful and impacting it is.

My brother: *appears* Or what a crybaby you are.

Mittens: Am not! *banishes him from the fanfic* Got a little off topic...

I hope you all liked this chapter! It's a good thing Téa always has her cell phone...

Everyone: *throws assorted objects at the Authoress*

Please review! I'd love it if you did. Your kind words mean so much to me. 

*gives plushies of Yugi and Serenity in their dance outfits to all reviewers* Aren't they cute?

Merry Christmas, everyone! Don't forget that this is a time for family and love, and have a wonderful holiday season.

Yours truly,

Mittens no Hikari


	3. Losing Bonds

Hi everybody! ^_^ 

I hope you all had a merry Christmas and didn't give in to the overwhelming commercialism of the season! ^_^

Everyone: *sweatdrop*

Mittens: ^_^;; What's wrong with my greeting? Anyway, I had a great holiday and I hope everyone else did too.

Thanks to the following people:

**DJ Rodriguez**: =^_^= Thanks for the gifts and the review, DJ! And for the biographical information... *blinks* That's cool, that you're named for your dad. And I get a wish? Anything? *is speechless* This could take a while... thanks so much for everything!

**Dagger5**: Yay! One of my missions is to spread this pairing around. There is a severe shortage of Yugi and Serenity romance stories. And thanks a zillion for your kind words.

**Anime-crazed33**: *does happy dance* Anime! You're back! Thanks for reviewing! I love exclamation points!

**Pooka228**: *shifty eyes* We shall see... and Merry Christmas to you too!

**Quantum Thunder**: *is confused* Sword is mightier than the fan...? *ponders* That's too deep for me... I think I'm missing the point. But thanks so much for your review! *blushes*

**Aeyes**: TAKE COVER! *dives under her desk* ^_^ I'm glad to hear from you, even if it does mean being bombed with kiwi and other assorted fruit. Thanks for reviewing!

**Sword Master Jeff**: *blinks* Um... thanks? In all honesty, my brother and I get along great. We love each other (audience: Awww!) and the only things we disagree on are romance (I love it, he doesn't) and Yu-Gi-Oh (same as previous). Thanks for your review!

**starfire20042002**: *even shiftier eyes* Not telling. *pouts* ^_^

**Jill**: Thanks for not throwing assorted objects! ^_^ Actually, usually it's only Aeyes who does that... And thanks so much for the review!

Disclaimer: Once upon a time, I owned Yu-Gi-Oh and lived happily ever after. Unfortunately, it's not true; that's why it was a fairy tale.

_Thoughts_

_/Yugi to Yami/_

_//Yami to Yugi//_

~Flashback~

This chapter is dedicated to my nine reviewers. You're all awesome!

**Fading**

Chapter Three: Losing Bonds

Yugi shivered. It was freezing... his hands and face were numb... unfortunately, the cold did nothing to quell the sharp jolts of agony from his left leg. Maybe he should get another blanket or something- he didn't remember ever being this cold before.

Wait... why was he sleeping? He was supposed to be at the dance, right? So what was he doing here? What-

Yugi's blood ran cold as suddenly he remembered what had happened. The cloaked man, the chase, the knife. _I must have passed out... what happened to Serenity?_ He started to throw himself out of whatever bed he was in, but something was holding him down...

He tried again, struggling to get free. "Let me go! I have to see something!" he pleaded, barely aware he was giving voice to the words. "I need to see... if Serenity and the others are okay-"

"Yugi, calm down!" He knew that voice faintly...

"He won't quit struggling!" That voice he definitely recognized.

"Yugi! Yugi, we're right here!" 

"Serenity?" He stopped slowly, and managed to force open his eyes. His vision swam in the blur of the lights in the room, and finally came into focus. 

Serenity nodded. There were traces of tears still on her face and in her jade-green eyes. Her chestnut hair was messy, blown by the winter wind and wet from melting snow. She smiled and nodded again. "We're all here, Yugi," she said softly.

_Where is 'here'?_ Yugi slowly pushed himself to a sitting position, keeping his back braced against the headboard of the unfamiliar bed, just in case. He looked around him, taking in his surroundings. This blindingly white room could only be one thing...

"I'm in the hospital?"

"Yeah," Joey confirmed. Yugi started- he hadn't even noticed his friend sitting on the windowsill next to the bed. "Are you doin' all right?" Rare was it for Joey to speak so seriously and worriedly.

Yugi brushed off the question. "What happened?" He looked around from one face to another, seeing Tristan, Téa, and Mai before his eyes found Serenity's again. "Why am I here?"

"You passed out, Yugi," Serenity informed him, tears making her voice waver. "Remember? We were in the alley?"

Yugi nodded slowly, not giving any more response than that. He stared down at his hands, his still-pale face unreadable.

Serenity and the others waited. When he said nothing more, Serenity continued hesitantly. "Joey and the others noticed we were gone. They followed our footprints in the snow and Téa called an ambulance."

A loud bang made everyone turn his or her head to the door. Bakura came running in, shaking snow from his pale hair. "I came as soon as I heard," he said, sounding slightly out of breath, as he shut the door behind him, softer this time. "Is everything all right?"

"We think so," Téa answered him, giving him a half-hearted smile. "The police are looking for the guy who did it, but it's like he vanished into thin air."

"And Yugi? Are you all right?" Bakura asked gently, his kind brown eyes slightly worried.

Yugi nodded wordlessly. Then he opened his mouth and said, so softly his friends could barely hear him, "I'm sorry..."

His friends exchanged confused looks. Finally Serenity spoke up. "Yugi? If you don't mind my asking, what are you sorry for?"

Yugi sighed. "I ruined the entire evening!" he burst out. He looked at each one of his friends- Bakura, Joey, and Tristan in their suits, Téa in a blue dress and heels, Mai with her hair still in a sophisticated French twist, Serenity in her rose-colored dress. "This was supposed to be a night that everyone could have fun, and what do I do? I collapse, and you guys have to take me to the hospital, and I'm sure I completely destroyed everyone's good time, just because I was too weak to take care of myself!" Outburst finished, Yugi buried his face in his blanket-covered knees, shoulders trembling as he fought hard to hold back a torrent of sobs.

Serenity's heart wrenched. _How do I tell him that he matters to me more than any dance ever could?_ She paused and considered that thought. _Maybe by saying exactly that, you think?_ she questioned her sentimental half sarcastically. She shook her head. Sometimes the things she thought didn't even make sense to her.

"Yugi, what kind of people do you take us for? Do you honestly think that a lousy high school _dance_ matters more to us than if you're all right or not?" Serenity asked softly, watching as Yugi seemed to take in the query. His shoulders rose and fell once, in a deep breath. Slowly, he lifted his face to his friends, as if asking their forgiveness- for what, Serenity wasn't sure.

"Serenity's right, Yugi. You're giving yourself entirely too little credit here, you know," Mai said, with that self-assured half-smile she so often wore replaced by a look of genuine concern and sympathy. "She told us exactly what happened."

"And to stand up to a masked person with a knife- that's not weak, that's heroic," Téa finished, smiling gently at her friend as if inviting him to smile with her.

Yugi finally did smile, slightly ruefully but a smile nonetheless. "Thanks," he said quietly. "And I _am_ sorry..." 

"Stop apologizing already!" Tristan said, rolling his eyes in mock frustration.

"Sorry," Yugi quickly answered. And, when he realized what he had said- "Oh, I'm- I mean, I-" his words were cut short by a pillow to the face, courtesy of Joey.

"Joey!" Serenity scolded, swatting her brother. 

Yugi grinned, eyes sparkling. His face was regaining some of its color, and he looked happier than he had for the past fifteen minutes. Suddenly his eyes widened and he drew in his breath sharply. 

"Yugi?" came six worried voices all at once. Yugi waved away their concern with one hand, clutching at his left shoulder with the other. He didn't seem able to get any words out, and his eyes glittered with suppressed pain.

"I'm calling the nurse," Tristan said, standing to press the button on the white wall of the room. Yugi shook his head frantically. "Don't..." he breathed, a tremor running through his body. "I'm all... right... now..." He visibly relaxed, letting out his breath and closing his eyes momentarily. "Just hurt a little, is all," he whispered, voice hoarse.

"Yugi..." Serenity began warningly. _If there's something wrong with him, I'm_ not _waiting till it's too late to help!_

Yugi interrupted her. "I have a favor to ask," he said, opening his eyes again and sitting up straighter. "Would someone go to my house, and make sure the Puzzle is all right? If that guy was after it, then I don't want to risk leaving it alone in the house while I'm stuck here."

"Not necessary," Bakura broke in. "I brought it with me- your house was on the way to the hospital, and I ran in and got it, in case you needed it at some point." He produced the shimmering golden item from a pocket in his coat, holding it almost reverently by its thick silver chain.

"Thanks, Bakura!" Yugi said, slightly surprised, judging from the tone of his voice. Bakura handed him the Puzzle and Yugi took it, carefully putting the chain over his head and letting the golden weight of the Millennium Item slip over his shoulders.

The eye of the Puzzle flashed almost immediately, a bright golden light illuminating the small hospital room. Serenity expected to see Yugi's eyes close or go vacant as they always did when he conversed with the spirit of the Puzzle. Instead, however, Yugi looked confused and slightly frightened.

_What's going on?_ Serenity wondered silently, seeing a growing frustration on Yugi's face. The Puzzle flashed again, and again, the light becoming increasingly insistent- and yet, somehow, nothing seemed to be happening at all.

***

_//Yugi! Are you all right? Can you hear me?//_

Silence. And then-

_/-mi- why- 'nt- ear- you?/_

_//Yugi, I can't hear what you're saying! What's going on?//_

_/Can't- you- ther- block- ink?/_

The Pharaoh pounded his fist on a conveniently placed wall in frustration. "I can't hear you, Yugi!" he shouted, knowing even before the echo had faded from the dank walls of his chamber that it would do no good. _Obviously, something is interfering with our communication. But what is it? I can't very well do much about it if the source of the problem is a mystery._

_//Something's wrong.//_

_/?/_

This time, no sound even came from Yugi. All Yami received was a questioning feeling. "This is ridiculous," he muttered, getting restlessly to his feet and pacing up and down the halls of his mind's corridors.

_What's going on?_

***

"I can't hear him," Yugi whispered. "All I'm getting is little fragments of thought. I can't communicate with him anymore."

"But how is that possible?" Serenity asked. She remembered how simple it had been to speak with Yami when she had worn the Puzzle briefly. He had heard everything and anything she wanted to say- and a few thoughts she _hadn't_ planned on sharing. She felt her face mantle as she remembered.

_~Yes... Yugi is a rare person... rare and so wonderful..._

_//Serenity?...  What was that about?//~_

Serenity almost laughed as she recalled her intense embarrassment. _Yami wasn't supposed to hear that... but it worked out for the best, anyway. _She grew suddenly serious. _But I never had trouble hearing him._

"You can't hear him at all?" Joey asked, dark eyes questioning and more than a little nervous.

Yugi shook his head. "I'm going to try and break through whatever it is that's blocking us, though. Let's hope it works..."

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, his face tense with concentration. Serenity held her breath, hoping...

Suddenly, a horrible tremor ran through Yugi's body. He cried out, pain draining the color from his face. He clutched at his head, shaking violently as tears began to stream down his face.

"That's it- we need a doctor here now!" Tristan shouted, smashing his fist into the intercom on the wall. 

"Yugi! Yugi, stop!" Serenity screamed, trying to pry his left hand from the Millennium Puzzle. She gasped- his hands were freezing cold and trembling badly. "Stop whatever you're doing!"

Téa looked terrified; Mai was hiding her fear slightly better, but her purple eyes betrayed her cool exterior. Joey and Bakura joined Serenity's desperate quest of trying to take the Millennium Puzzle from around Yugi's neck, as Tristan continued to shout into the intercom, as if yelling would make help arrive faster.

Yugi was white as a sheet now, and his breath was ragged. He continued to cry out in anguish as pain devastated his small frame.

Doctors burst into the room and almost immediately began shooing everyone out. Serenity looked quickly over her shoulder. _I don't have much time..._ she redoubled her efforts, pulling as hard as she could. Just as someone's hand gripped her shoulder and pulled her backwards, she felt Yugi's cold fingers come loose, and she just managed to drag the Millennium Puzzle with her as she herself was dragged from the room.

***

He allowed himself one silent smile of malicious glee as he watched from within his servant's mind. This time, there would be no escape for little Yugi. He would not so easily conquer the enemy that was awaiting him.

He congratulated himself on his brilliance. No one would ever suspect, and though this particular slave had broken free once before, there was no way he would be strong enough to do so again.

Soon...

Very soon...

He had not long to wait.

Not long at all.

***

O.O

Wow, I really seem to enjoy ending with the evil people's point of view, at least in early chapters. What does that say about me? ... *is creeped out*

So, how was that? I found it sufficiently plot-advancing. ^_^ I hope it was interesting to everyone who's reading it, though. I'd love for you to drop me a review and say what you think... as long as it's not a flame. Constructive criticism= good, flame= bad.

Couple end-of-chapter things:

For those who read "I'm With You", do you want Dana to show up again? I can put her in... or not. It's your call. Actually, her whole point was 'cause I felt bad for Tristan. =^_^= *shrugs* So, say yea or nay in your reviews.

Also, thanks SO much to everyone who has put me on their Favorite Author list- I looked and I was shocked at having 15 people. I am eternally grateful! ^_^

Finally, have a happy, healthy New Year!

-Mittens no Hikari


	4. Darkness and Gold

I'm SO SORRY for taking so long to update. I think this is my longest time ever, and it 'twas because of self-imposed groundation. Too many papers are going unwritten. But hey, I can take a _little_ break, right?

Ouch... *comforts bandaged finger*

I got burned. Yep. It had to happen sometime... I got my first flame. Though it may not completely count, since the person left a review of apology immediately afterwards. Still, it hurt to be told I'd never be a good writer. But the apology helps. ^_^

Some responses and thanks are in order:

**DJ Rodriguez**: Thanks so much for your kind words. You have no idea how much it boosts my confidence to get regular review from someone like you. It means so much to me... you have my gratitude. =^_^=

**Blank**: I know what you mean. I love romance, and though I don't _like_ hurting characters, sometimes that's what makes the story good. Thanks for your review!

**Quantum Thunder**: I get it now... *looks around embarrassedly* Thanks for the review, and I hope you had a Happy New Year too!

**Dagger5**: Yay! I made a convert! Thanks so much for your encouragement. People like you are the reason I keep posting my writing. 

**Jill**: *shifty eyes* Not telling. And thanks so much for reviewing again! It makes me feel great to hear from all you readers.

**Pooka228**: Must I keep doing shifty eyes? I'm not giving anything away. And I'm glad you like the sequel!

**Aeyes**: Indeed. Though you may not be so happy with me by the time this chapter's done... *sweatdrop*

**hobbit13**: I'm glad that even if you don't like the pairing, you still like the story. Thanks for the review, and I concur, my Nameless-thus-far Villain is an evil demon. Kinda fun to write though... ^_^;;

**Sword Master Jeff**: Hopefully I will have answered some of your questions by the end of the chapter, and by all means, keep asking 'em! ^_^ Thanks for reviewing!

**flipper226**: Thanks for the apology... no hard feelings.

**CutePrincess0333**: Longer? How much longer d'you want them? I make a point of never posting till I have at least 2000 words, but should I try to get them longer? And thanks a million for your kind words.

**starfire20042002**: Um... okay, I'll leave a question at the end of the chapter. Thanks for your review! ^_^

**Nightlight5**: Nightlight! You're back! *rejoices* As you can see, the Millennium Rod worked eventually, because there was indeed a sequel. =^_^= And thanks a billion for your encouragement. It means a lot to me. ^_^

**NoZoMi aNd HoTaRu**: Yup, there's more. Thanks so much for adding me to your Favorite Author list! *dies*

**Sakura30**: Wow! Hey, great to hear from you again! I'm so glad you like the sequel! Dana will be showing up again, as I think I got 5 yeses and one no. And thanks SO much for your kind reviews! *blushes*

**squallwis04**: *is absorbed in staring at cheesecake* Ooo... yummy... O.O Thanks so much for the gift! I'm so happy you like the story, and here! *gives you plushies of Yugi and Serenity* 

Wow! *dies* 36 reviews in 3 chapters- thanks to you all for reviewing! It brightens my day considerably. ^_^ You people rock!

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh is mine only in a distant alternate universe that I created in my own mind. I wish I owned it here, though...

_Thoughts_

_/Yugi to Yami/_

_//Yami speaking//_

_~Letter~_

This chapter is dedicated to everyone reading the story. So if you're reading these words, that means you! ^_^

**Fading**

Chapter Four: Darkness and Gold

Serenity tucked her hair behind her ear and let out a sigh as she headed to her locker. _Another day stuck in school,_ she thought wryly to herself. _It's not like I'm learning anything at all. I'm too distracted..._ she swallowed hard. Yugi was still in the hospital- had been since the night before. _And I haven't gotten to check up on him yet. I'm so worried..._

"Hey! Serenity, wait up!"

Serenity turned at the familiar voice to see Dana's telltale red hair coming toward her at a run. "Hey," she said listlessly, as Dana slowed to a stop.

"Serenity, are you doing all right?" Dana asked gently. Startled, Serenity glanced at her friend questioningly.

"Tristan told me something's going on with Yugi... and that he's in the hospital. Do you know what's wrong?" 

_So that's how she knows._ To her embarrassment, Serenity could feel tears forming in her eyes. She shook her head, afraid to speak for fear she'd burst into the sobs she'd been holding in all day.

"Serenity, it's okay to cry." Dana's eyes were understanding. "I'd be scared too, if I were in your shoes. Actually, I'm scared as it is. You don't have to be on your guard- school's over. So go ahead and cry."

The words seemed to cause the trickle of water leaking from her dammed-up tears to become a torrent, crushing the barrier she had so tried to keep up all day. She burst into quiet sobs and slid to the floor, back against the wall, her books forgotten on the floor. "I'm just so scared..." she managed between gasps. "I don't... know... what to..." 

"It's going to be okay," Dana whispered, sitting beside her and putting an arm around her shoulders. For a while, neither of them said anything, Serenity's stormy sobs slowing gradually. Finally Serenity sniffled and wiped in vain at her eyes. "Thanks, Dana," she said softly, rubbing her face with her sleeve. "I think I'm okay now. I'm going to go see Yugi, okay?"

"All right," Dana said, getting up with a sigh. "I'll stop by later if I have time. And I'm sure everything will be all right." She smiled, inviting her friend to smile as well. Serenity did so, gathering up her books. As she put them in her backpack, a flash of gold caught her eye. 

_Right! The Millennium Puzzle!_ Slowly she lifted the golden object by its chain and brought it out of the nylon knapsack. _Is the problem with the Puzzle?_ Slowly, she placed the chain over her neck, and nervously thought- 

_Yami? Are you there?_

She waited with bated breath, praying that she got some sort of answer, minus the pain that Yugi had received the night before.

_//Serenity? Is that you?//_

Relief surged through her mind in a wave; whether hers or the spirit's, she had no idea.

_//Thank Ra you can hear me! Serenity, what on earth is going on?//_ The spirit's words were frantic and had an automatic quality to them, as if he'd been rehearsing them over and over without any response.

_I have no idea, now..._ Serenity realized, her spirits crashing to the ground. Obviously the problem wasn't with the Puzzle- or with Yami. _So what on earth...?_ She shook herself out of her reverie and continued- 

_Yami, something happened to Yugi. At the dance last night..._ she swallowed hard, and continued. _He ended up at the hospital, and Bakura brought the Puzzle over. When he tried to talk to you, he said he wasn't getting any response._

_//Nor was I from him.//_ Yami's words were clipped, as if he wanted more to hear what had happened then to continue speaking himself.

_He said he was going to smash through whatever it was that was blocking the two of you-_ Serenity was cut off by the Pharaoh's voice.

_//What on earth was he_ thinking? _There's no telling what could be causing the block- he should know better than to try to smash through something like that!//_ Yami suddenly seemed to realize the meaning of his own words. In a much smaller, quieter voice, he asked _//...is he all right?//_

_I'm not sure... he's still at the hospital. That's where I was going, till I thought maybe I'd check and see if something was wrong with the Puzzle. I guess that wasn't it, though..._ Serenity started, realizing she had walked almost in a trance for the whole of the conversation- she was already outside, and headed for the bus stop. _I'd better pay attention to what's going on. I'm lucky I didn't get hit by a car already. I'll talk to you again later, okay?_

_//All right. Please, Serenity, look after Yugi. If I can't communicate with him, there's no way I can get out of the Puzzle or help him at all...//_ Yami trailed off and shut the link firmly, leaving Serenity alone in her mind to wonder-

_If the Puzzle's not the problem..._

_...then what is?_

***

Serenity stared out the window of the bus, letting the gray winter scenery pass her by without really seeing it. The Puzzle sat in her lap, its long chain forming a silver pile of links that shimmered palely in the late afternoon sun. Serenity let her gaze drift as she shifted and sighed. She looked into her backpack again, noting uninterestedly the math book, the chemistry binder, the cloth bundle-

Wait. _What's that thing?_ Frowning, she set the Puzzle on the seat and hoisted her backpack onto her lap, shifting the books inside so she could get a look at the object. Frowning with the effort, she tore it free of the heavy textbooks-

_Oh!_ Suddenly she recognized the object- it was the one the mysterious woman had handed to her on the day Yugi had asked her to the dance. She shivered involuntarily, trying to recall exactly what it was the woman had said-

_"Do not open it now. You will know when you need it."_

_I completely forgot! Maybe... this is when I need it?_ She gently began to untie one of the strings, her mind plagued with doubts. _What could this thing be?_

The first layer of rough cloth fell away- and with it, a crumpled, yellowed piece of paper. It fluttered noiselessly to the ground. Serenity picked it up slowly, curiosity piqued, and opened it with trembling fingers. Her eyes widened as she scanned the words, written in black ink in a graceful hand.

_~If you have any doubts about now, then this is not when you were meant to open it. If you are not completely sure- if you do not have a feeling that this is what you need- then wait. The time will come.~_

It was unsigned, but looking at the words, Serenity could almost hear that woman speaking them in her cool voice. It had to have been her.

_But how did she know?_

The screeching of the brakes brought her back to her senses. She was at the hospital- she would have to ponder the woman, her seeming knowledge of every move Serenity would make, and the package later. For now, she had to go see Yugi.

She had no trouble getting to his room- the doctors recognized her and let her by. She knocked and then gently pushed the door open, poking her head inside.

Yugi was watching the door; his eyes brightened when he saw who was there. "Hey, Serenity," he said, a smile crossing his face.

"Hi, Yugi," she replied, closing the door behind her. "How's everything going?"

Yugi shrugged, smiling again. "Can't complain, really."

_Oh yes, you can,_ Serenity's mental voice shouted. He was very pale and the shadows beneath his eyes indicated he hadn't slept well. His leg was wrapped in bandages, as was his forehead. He was shivering, though the room was quite warm. _He's awake, though... that's something._ Serenity shook her head. Her attempts at making herself feel better were futile. Instead, though, she said, "Joey and the others are coming by later- they stayed late today to help Téa with Work Study."

"That's right- that was today!" Yugi slapped his forehead. "I promised I'd help this time. I'll have to find some way to make it up to her and the others- it's not fair that I rope Joey and Tristan into it and then don't show up myself."

"Yugi, I have a very strong suspicion that they'll forgive you," Serenity told him, sitting on the edge of a chair and stretching her legs in front of her. "They'll be here in probably a half-hour or so, though, so if you don't trust me you can ask them."

Yugi sighed and nodded. "Okay. What did I-" he broke off, the shadows of pain flickering in his eyes and across his face. He hugged his good knee to his chest, putting his forehead down and hiding his face from view. Silently he shook, a pained whimper escaping his lungs only once.

"Yugi?" Serenity's voice was shaking. "Yugi, what's wrong?"

For a moment he didn't answer. Finally, his tense shoulders relaxed and he lifted his face from his blanketed knee. He looked drained and weary. "Just... my leg... again..." he managed, his voice cracking. He began to shiver again, teeth chattering.

"Do you want me to call the nurse?" Serenity asked, unable in her fear to come up with anything else to say. Yugi shook his head. "It's okay now... it just hurts sometimes," he answered, rubbing his left leg absentmindedly and then wincing, pulling his hand away as if he'd been burned.

"I talked to Yami," Serenity finally said, breaking the deafening silence. A flare of hope brightened in Yugi's violet eyes, and he stared at her, hanging on her next words, unable to conceal the pleading in his face. Serenity wanted to cry. _How can I tell him that the problem's not with the Puzzle?_

"I could hear him fine." The words came out in a rush, and Serenity shut her eyes tightly, not wanting to see Yugi's disappointment that she couldn't help him. "I'm sorry, Yugi! I wanted to help, but neither of us knows what's wrong, and-"

She felt a cold hand over her own tense one that clutched the edge of the bed, and looked into Yugi's understanding face. "Serenity, it's okay. It could be I'm just sick- maybe there's no real problem at all. But whatever the deal, it's not your fault, all right?"

For a moment they just looked at each other, the gentle silence speaking volumes. Suddenly the door flew open and hit the wall opposite with a loud bang. Serenity and Yugi both started, jolted out of their quietness, as Joey, Téa, Bakura, Tristan, and Dana filed one by one into the room.

"Hey, Yuge! How ya feelin', pal?" Joey asked cheerfully. A flash of worry crossed his face at seeing his friend, but it was concealed so quickly by his usual smirk that it barely seemed to be there at all. "Mai said to tell you she had t' get home today, but she hopes you're feelin' better and she'll come to see ya soon as she can."

"That was nice of her," Yugi answered with his trademark grin. "I'm feeling okay. My leg hurts a little sometimes, but other than that..." he shrugged. 

The small room seemed to brighten with the chatter and laughter that followed. All were smiling... including the one who watched the scene with a malicious delight, though any onlooker would have said...

That they did not see him there at all...

***

_This is working perfectly..._ he smiled wider, clenching a fist in a premature symbol of victory. 

_Soon I will need to take the plan into its second stage. We will see... it ought to be soon, judging by how fast he's weakening._

_Yes. It will be soon._

_Very soon._

***

"We'll be back soon, okay Yugi?" Téa asked him, standing with a stretch. "We're just going to head out real fast and get something to eat."

"Sure, guys. Take your time... I know it can't be fun just sitting in a cramped hospital room all day." Yugi grinned and shifted beneath his blankets.

As they piled out of the room, Yugi's eye fell on the Millennium Puzzle. A flash of worry crossed his mind. _I hope nothing's happened to Yami..._ he reached out and touched the gold of the pyramid.

His entire body seemed to freeze... the numb jolt twinged up his leg, through his arms, to his mind...

"AAAAAAAHHH!"

Suddenly he heard a horrible, pain-wracked scream. Dimly he thought... _someone needs to help that boy..._ then his thoughts were interrupted by the crushing realization of the agony knifing through his soul. He twisted, clutching his head, his leg burning with a frozen fire of glass, the shards sending pain shooting through his body. A dark fog was swirling up before his eyes, clouding his vision. Still the unearthly scream continued. And as he fell into the freezing, dark void of pain, he had time for only one more thought, that came with a startling clarity.

_That screaming... that's me..._

The cold was around him and in his mind... and suddenly everything was black and he knew no more.

***

Serenity led the way as the group darted through the halls of the hospital. They had just left the building when they heard a scream coming from the upper floors.

Without a doubt, it had been Yugi.

_Oh God, please, let him be all right..._ Serenity prayed. _Please..._ she ran into the large fourth-floor reception office-

-and ran smack into a doctor.

"I'm sorry, but this area is restricted-" the man began firmly.

Tristan elbowed his way to the front, Dana beside him.

"We need to get to our friend! Something happened to Yugi, and we have to get in there! So let us through!" Tristan shouted, gray eyes burning with frustration and fear. Dana wore a like expression as she backed him up with a stormy series of nods.

"Please, doctor!" Serenity cried. "We _have_ to get to him! Please!" She burst into tears. _This is all my fault... if not for me, that guy would never have hurt Yugi this way and none of this would have happened. Yugi has to be all right! He can't be... be..._

The doctor's face softened. "Are you friends of-" he checked his chart. "Yugi Moto?" Waiting for a response, he paused, then asked softly, "Does he have any family we can get ahold of, by chance?"

"No," Joey answered, putting an arm around Serenity's shoulders supportively. "His Grampa's off on some archaeological thing. Sends letters practically every week, but we've got no idea where to find him. What's wrong?"

"I can only reveal that to-" the doctor immediately closed his mouth at the group's faces. He sighed and shook his head. "Yugi is unconscious. His vital signs as of now are stable, but he doesn't seem to be waking up."

"No... not again..." Téa whispered, voice trembling in despair. "It shouldn't happen to him again..."

"And?" Joey's voice cracked on the word. Serenity redirected her eyes to the doctor again, pleading with her face that he wouldn't say what she thought he might. _Please... not Yugi..._

"And... like last time... we don't know what's wrong." The doctor looked down, then met each of their eyes. "I'm sorry."

Suddenly, through her tears, Serenity knew. 

_~You will know when you need it.~_

_Whatever that thing is, we need it now. Yugi needs it now._ It was clear in her mind- no doubt, nothing at all. Just that overwhelming _knowing_- now was the time. It had to be. This was the only thing she had left.

"Excuse me. We have to get back there." She looked at the doctor, praying he would understand how important this was. Slowly, he nodded and stepped aside. "But come right back out." Serenity nodded, accepting his terms as he accepted hers.

Serenity led the way, and did nothing more then grab her backpack, which was sitting alone in the hall. She wanted nothing so much as to go in and see Yugi, but something told her she'd be overstepping her bounds if she did. _Please, Yugi- hang on. This will help you. It has to. _

She took a seat in the lobby, the rest of the group gathering quietly around her. Quickly, in trembling hands, she took the package from her bag and began to unwind the cloth, letting it haphazardly pile onto the floor.

_I don't know what I'm expecting..._ her jade-green eyes widened as she unwrapped the final layer, and a sudden burst of gold momentarily blinded her, making her turn her face away. She hadn't yet gotten a good look, nor had the others.

_Please... let this be what Yugi needs._

_Please._

***

Okay, even I admit that to be a horrible cliffhanger. I'm sorry! *ducks under bomb shelter, knowing Aeyes is going to attack soon*

Anywho, I have an idea of what's going to happen, and I'll try to get the next chapter out ASAP. I have exams this week, starting tomorrow, and I won't have much spare time- but after that I'm free for a while. So next update will come faster than this one did.

Now, a question for starfire20042002, 'cause she asked for one. Lesse... I know! What _is_ the mysterious package, and will it be enough to bring Yugi back from wherever he is now? 

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'd love it if you'd drop me a review. Please, though, no flames! Constructive criticism= good, flame= bad.

Thanks! Hope to see you soon,

-Mittens no Hikari 


	5. The Key to the Cure

O_O

I'm frightened. I don't think I've ever had so many people scream at me before... I knew it was a cliffhanger, but I didn't think it was _that_ bad!

Ahem... um... thanks so much to the following people:

**DJ Rodriguez**: *blushes* I'm glad you consider me a friend. And I'm also glad you like cliffhangers... most of my other readers do not, apparently. And sure, I'll check out your story ASAP.

**Nightlight5**: *laughing hysterically* That was the greatest awards ceremony I have ever laid eyes upon. And... *bursts into tears and hugs award* I'm so honored... I think. You're not going to scream at me, are you? ^_^;; Thanks so much for the review!

**A Watcher**: Hey, great to see you again! Your guess is quite close... you'll soon see if you're right. 

**squallwis04**: I'm glad you like cliffhangers too... as I seem to end with them quite often... and I do have a heart! I love Yugi- why else would my stories all involve him? Thanks for dropping me a review!

**Dagger5**: Thanks! Exams are over (phew!) so I'm getting this out ASAP. I'm so glad you like the story.

**Anime-crazed33**: *covers ears* Sorry! I'm getting this out as fast as I can! And thanks for the encouragement- I feel much more philosophical about the flame thing. ^_^

**Pooka228**: Thanks so much- getting messages like your make my day. And, of course, no review responses are complete without... *shifty eyes* ^_^

**hobbit13**: O.O *hides under bed* See, I'm updating! See? Ehehe... Glad you like the story and I'm glad to hear from you! Thanks for the review!

**Chrono Cross**: Here's your update- and thanks so much for the review!

**NoZoMi aNd HoTaRu**: Ya, flames are painful things- but getting reviews like yours make it seem not so bad. If all you like it, then one person doesn't make _that_ much of a difference. ^_^ *feels wise*

**Jill**: Hey, that'd be great if you got your own account! Flame has been worked out and I am at peace with myself. Here's your update!

**starfire20042002**: You'll have an idea after this chapter!

*is still hiding under bed* *looks at review number* *dies* 51? I can't believe it- and I don't know how to thank you all. I never dreamed I'd get this many- I was prepared for maybe 50 for the entire _story_. Thanks so much- you reviewers are amazing!

Disclaimer: **Mine** (min), _pron_: That or those belonging to me. *shuts dictionary* Darn. Yu-Gi-Oh is not **mine**. 

_Thoughts_

_//Yami speaking through the Puzzle//_

This chapter is dedicated to my chapter four reviewers. Thanks so much, all!

**Fading**

Chapter Five: The Key to the Cure

The golden light flared through the waiting room, shining vividly into the dark corners, casting long shadows across the floor. Serenity could feel the metallic object, glowing warm in her hands. A clear ringing sound was flowing through the air, its high pitch sounding like a miniscule bell. Squinting, she turned back to the thing she held in her hands. It was still too bright to see...

"My goodness!" The startled exclamation came from Bakura, and glancing in his dark eyes revealed he indeed recognized what she held- to some extent, at least.

"Whoa..." Joey whispered, looking at the thing reverently. Serenity's sight finally cleared, though spots of brightness still danced in her vision. Blinking rapidly, she turned her sight to the golden object in her hands.

The object she held was shaped like what she thought was called an ankh- _some sort of symbol of ancient Egypt..._ she whispered mentally. A thin leather cord looped through the open spot and wrapped around several times, making a necklace of sorts. The metallic gold luster shone even in the dim overhead lights of the waiting room. It would have looked useless- pretty, but useless- but for the bottom. Instead of tapering off to a wide, square bottom, it instead looked as if the object could be used as a sort of key. _For what, though?_ Serenity thought to herself.

For a few moments everyone simply stared. Finally, Téa ventured, "What _is_ that thing?"

***

"Yugi!" Yami slammed himself against the soul room door, his shoulder hitting the stone with a loud crack. He backed up, ready for another desperate attempt, all the while cursing himself for not helping his hikari sooner.

_Smack._ Again he threw himself against the door of his soul room, ignoring the jolt of pain stinging up his shoulder. The stone door of his chambers showed no sign of budging, only serving to terrify the spirit further. He had _never_ had this sort of trouble leaving his soul room before. 

Panting, he threw himself hard one last time, striking the stone and sliding, exhausted, to the floor. Breathing hard, he let his head fall to rest on his knees, closing his eyes tightly. _I have to get to him... he's in terrible pain. From what, I can only guess._ The spirit shuddered. He had heard the agony in Yugi's scream... 

Flooded with a combination of rage and fear anew, Yami climbed to his feet and backed off, ready to try again. _This time, the door opens._ Yami's purple eyes burned with a furious fire as he backed off, appraising the stone obstacle. Suddenly, with lightning speed, he threw himself into a run. Turning his shoulder toward the door, he slammed against the stone- and was flung halfway across his soul room for his efforts. He groaned and shook his head dazedly, blinking hard.

_But..._ Yami narrowed his eyes to see better. Then he climbed to his feet and rushed across the room. The door was still shut as tightly as it had ever been, but a small hole had been knocked in the wall beside. Dropping to his knees, Yami pressed his face to the wall, hoping to catch a glimpse of what was blocking his way.

He drew in his breath sharply. This was not what he had expected to see... not what he had expected at all...

***

"That's one of the Millennium items!" Bakura whispered, in answer to Téa's query. "Which one, I'm not certain- but it's one of the seven for sure."

"Well, what _are_ the seven?" Serenity asked softly. "Yugi has the Puzzle, you have the Ring..."

"Marik has the Rod..." added Joey.

"Pegasus has the Eye-" Tristan began.

"Had," said Bakura suddenly. When they all looked at him, Bakura's dark eyes widened. "I heard... it was stolen..." he said hesitantly.

There was a beat of silence. Then Téa spoke. "Ishizu Ishtar has the necklace..."

"So that's five," Dana said softly. "What are the other two?"

Bakura narrowed his eyes and thought hard. Then his face lit up. "The Scales- and the Millennium Key!" He brushed pale hair from his face before continuing. "This must be the Key! Serenity, where on earth did you come across this?"

"A woman gave it to me, on that day we all had the snow fight in the park. After Yugi left and before I caught up to you-" this at Joey- "she came over to me and told me I would need this later. She said not to open it till I was sure I needed it. This must be what she meant- this must be able to help Yugi somehow. Bakura-" she turned to meet the questioning gaze. "What does the Millennium Key do?"

Bakura looked blank. "I'm sorry... I don't know." He cast his eyes downward, twisting his hands in his lap.

Serenity bit her lip and looked down at her lap. They were so close... she couldn't lose Yugi, not when the means for helping him could be right here in her hands. _Yugi can't... I can't lose him... not like I almost did last time..._

"C'mon, sis." Startled, Serenity looked up into her brother's brown eyes. His voice was rough, barely concealing the tears that hid beneath his tough-guy exterior. "We can't give up on Yuge. He's proven before he's no quitter- and now we gotta make sure we don't quit on him. Okay?" He gently mussed her hair.

Serenity gave a shaky smile. "You... you're right, Joey. But... we still don't know how to use this thing."

"Well, we probably need to be near Yugi to help him," Téa suggested. Her face fell, and she lowered her blue eyes. "But there's no way the doctors are going to let us back there again."

Dana spoke up, an impish gleam growing in hazel eyes. "Leave that to me... and Bakura."

Bakura's eyes widened. "Wha...?" he blurted, giving her an incredulous look. "Wait a moment, I don't think-"

His words were cut off, however, as Dana grabbed his hand and dragged him up to the desk, where a watchful nurse stood guard over the door leading to the back halls of the hospital.

***

The nurse twirled a strand of blonde hair around her finger, waiting impatiently for her desk duty to be over. She was sick of the paperwork- this was _not_ why she spent so many long years at medical school!

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a redheaded girl approaching, dragging behind her a pale-haired boy who looked as though he was being led to his execution. She smiled as they approached her. "May I help you?" she inquired politely.

"Sure!" the redhead replied brightly. "I'm Dana, and this is my friend. He's a foreign exchange student... and... um... is interested in studying medicine. He needs to interview a... seasoned professional, and we were hoping you could help us!"

The nurse smiled genuinely in spite of herself. "I'd be happy to tell you whatever you need to know, kids," she said. A flash of movement to the side caught her eye, and she looked suspiciously around the teens. _Hmm. No one there._

***

"Oh... _thank_ you, miss!" Bakura said, the words coming out almost as a grunt, courtesy of an elbow in his stomach from Dana. _This is ridiculous. I have no idea what I'm going to ask! I hope Dana's plan involves what_ we're _supposed to do!_

"Well... Dana, why don't you ask first?" Bakura stumbled, giving her a panicked look.

"Oh, sure!" Dana said brightly, watching as the nurse's gaze shifted from Bakura to her. "Well, the first thing I was wondering was, what made you decide to _go_ to medical school?" 

Behind them- soft whispers. Bakura decided to help. "I mean, it must have been hard, making the choice to _go_, huh? _Moving_ away to college must be difficult!" He emphasized the words as much as he dared, and the sudden silence made him certain they had taken the hint. _Now to make sure she's occupied._

"Oh... not particularly..." the nurse said, giving them a peculiar look. "I mean, at that age, many teens know what they want to do, and want to be on their own also. So the choice wasn't too hard."

The door creaked. Bakura tensed suddenly- they couldn't get found out now. "And why nursing? Why not..." he searched his brain frantically, trying to come up with a similar career. "A different track in medicine?" 

He could hear the soft noise of his friends sneaking by. _Keep talking..._ he commanded himself. "Or why not some sort of..."

"Pharmacist?" Dana jumped in. Bakura shot her a grateful look.

"Well, I... never considered anything else, really." The nurse blinked, confused. 

"Wow!" Dana suddenly shouted. Bakura winced and covered his ears; the nurse looked stunned. Suddenly Bakura realized her shriek had accomplished what it was meant to do; the door had creaked closed without any sort of detection.

Dana looked at a loss for words, and the nurse was beginning to regain that look of suspicion. "Um... our mother is calling..." Bakura jumped in, before she could ask any further questions. Too late, he realized his mistake.

"Wait, your mother? As in, _both_ of yours? I thought you were a foreign exchange student..." the blonde nurse began.

"He is!" Dana supported his story. "We're... long lost... twins... separated at birth... and we have to go now, and it was lovely meeting you!" Before the confused woman could ask anything further, Bakura and Dana whirled, faces red as tomatoes, and fled the waiting room.

***

Serenity slipped into Yugi's room and let out a silent sigh of relief. Dana and Bakura had kept up the distraction just long enough. As Joey gently shut the door, Serenity turned to the hospital bed... and the small form lying there.

Yugi was deeply unconscious, face ashen, entire body shivering fitfully. His muscles were tense and his face was anything but relaxed, as if he'd blacked out while trying his hardest to endure a terrible pain. The Millennium Puzzle- somehow- was around his neck again.

Serenity touched his hand, aching for him to open his violet eyes and tell her that he would be fine, that everything had been worked out. His hand was freezing and trembling slightly, mirroring the shivering in the rest of his body.

"Okay, so now what do we do?" Tristan asked softly, keeping his voice low.

Joey shrugged, eyes flickering from the door to Yugi to his little sister. "But whatever we decide to do, it's gotta be fast."

Serenity lifted the golden Millennium Key and turned it over in her hand. Feeling rather silly, she held it in front of her, aloft in the air. Nothing happened. Or at first it _seemed_ like nothing...

_Hey, this is_ pulling _on my arm!_ Serenity realized with a jolt. "Guys... this thing is... acting weird..." she managed, barely able to hold onto the item. Whatever was driving it, it obviously had somewhere it wanted to go. She grabbed her own wrist with her other hand, trying unsuccessfully to halt the heavy pull.

"Serenity!" She felt Joey's hands on her shoulder, trying to pull her back as well. Snatching a glance over her shoulder, she could see they had formed a sort of chain, trying to stop the force that was driving the golden Ankh. 

"I can't... hold on..." Serenity managed. She was losing ground, and the Millennium Item seemed to know it. It gave one final yank- Serenity flew forward, Joey, Tristan, and Téa landing in a heap with her-

and touched its point to Yugi's forehead.

Serenity gasped, but the noise was torn away in the sudden silence. The world turned an iridescent shade of blue, and she could feel a vibration traveling up her arm and through her entire body. Then suddenly she was sucked forward, her cry finally making itself heard, blending with the others'. Through dark air they were propelled, dragged in by some force beyond their control-

And with a _thud_, the world went black.

***

He smiled. He knew precisely what had happened- his plan was taking effect. Yugi would never regain consciousness. He would make sure of that.

But for now- it was time to leave the mind of his slave behind. 

He had places he needed to be.

He closed his eyes and smiled- and when he opened them, he was somewhere else altogether.

***

Yugi slowly opened his eyes and groaned softly. _What... happened?_ He winced; his leg was screaming in agony, and the rest of his body didn't feel all that great either.

He tried to push himself to a sitting position, to get a better idea of his surroundings. The effort nearly made him scream in pain. _I can barely... move..._ For the first time, he looked at his left leg. A terrified scream rose into his throat, and he barely managed to keep it there.

Dark blue vines twined around his ankle, coming all the way up to his thigh, holding his leg firmly in position, the barbed thorns cutting painfully and sinking deeper the more he struggled. His breath came in short gasps as he fought to control his panic, the way Yami had always taught him. _Okay... breathe... focus... on the... problem..._ he felt a touch on his wrist, and slapped wildly at the thorns that had sneakily begun to entwine his arm. This movement had the singular effect of deterring the thorns for a moment and sending a crippling pain through his entire body. _I'm so... c-cold..._

He winced again as thorns met flesh, piercing his shoulder. Desperately he slapped at the clinging tendrils, tearing gashes into his hands as he tried to keep the thorns at bay. But they were coming thick and fast now, and Yugi's heart began to pound wildly as he fought to keep them off. Suddenly...

A bright light flashed, illuminating for the first time where he was. _I'm in... my soul... room..._ his mind was too exhausted to even begin going in to the reasons why. The thorns cringed away, fleeing like ghosts into the dark corners of the room. Yugi took the chance and staggered to his feet, knowing whoever was coming, he was currently no match.

As the figure slowly faded, the gold light dissipating, Yugi gasped. He tried through the pain-induced fog around his brain to rationalize what _he_ would be doing here.

"Goodness." The voice was mocking and condescending. "My, you aren't looking so well, are you, little Yugi?"

"What... are _you_... doing here?" Yugi managed between gasps. Big violet eyes flickered from the familiar face to the walls of his once-familiar soul room. With a sinking heart, he realized that the room was completely covered in the blue vines- including the door. _But I have... to try... staying here... would be even... worse..._

Yugi made a dash for the door, slamming his small frame against the thorn-covered stone. By the time the ringing in his ears ceased, he realized he was on his knees, clutching at his shoulder that was now bleeding freely. "Let me... out..." he whispered, words barely reaching the ears of the intruder. "Let me out." 

"Let you out?" He seemed amused at the idea. "I think not. You will be staying here."

"You can't... keep me here..." Yugi gasped, as he stumbled to his feet. He realized dimly he was swaying, but somehow he just couldn't get his balance. _How did he get into my soul room?_

"Then, little Yugi, we have reached a disagreement." Yugi only barely had time to see the hand come flying toward his head before he felt a dull pain on the back of his skull and crumpled to the ground, out cold. 

The figure watched, smiling. "I think..."

"That I can."

***

Mysterious... ^_^ So now we know the contents of the package and most likely you all know what's happening to Yugi. But... who is the Mysterious Person? *shifty eyes* I'm not telling... not yet, anyway!

So... how was that? I hope it wasn't too boring... or confusing- I realized I tended to switch points of view a lot this chapter. 

I'd love to get a review telling me how you think I'm doing- your reviews keep me updating! But please, no flames- though constructive criticism is perfectly fine and dandy. If something needs improving, please tell me!

I hope you're enjoying the story, and again, I'd love to hear from you. Pwease? *Chibi-Yugi-eyes*

Ja ne!

~Mittens no Hikari


	6. A Decision Made

^_^

Hey everyone! I'm glad to see you back! *nods* 

Sorry about the wait... I've recently had little to no time for anything but school... but I'm ready to get this chapter out! So...

Thanks to the following wonderful people!

**DJ Rodriguez**: *blushes* It's no problem to mention you- if you take the time to review my stories, then I need to take the time to acknowledge that. And thanks so much for the compliments... *blushes again*

**Nightlight5**: O.O That has to be the longest review I've ever gotten... and I loved every word of it! *bursts into laughter* And thanks a million for the praise!

**Dagger5**: Glad you like it! Here's some more! ^_^

**Anime-crazed33**: Ah, it's not your fault. I just freaked out at everyone screaming at me. ^_^;; Sorry about that. And thanks for the review!

**Jill**: The eyes... *melts* No one with a heart can resist the Puppy Eyes of Immeasurable Adorableness™. Here's another chapter, and thanks so much for your encouragement.

**A Watcher**: Um... I think it's more of a lending thing. Can't be sure, though... thanks for dropping me a review!

**NoZoMi aNd HoTaRu**: ^_^ I'm glad you liked the chapter! I have to admit, I had a blast writing up the diversion... maybe 'cause I can picture it happening! Thanks for the review!

**Secret9**: I would do that... but... my summary's too long to add anything more. ^_^;; I hope you enjoy 'I'm With You' and come back to read this one when you're done- I'd love to hear from you again! 

**Pooka228**: *turns red* Thank you! By the way, I loved 'The Little Light'! I read the whole thing at once, and 'twas excellent! Wasn't there a sequel in the works? 

**squallwis04**: *is embarrassed* I'm sorry- I shouldn't attempt to write about things that I know very little about. *looks down at floor* But... *brightens* I'm glad you're enjoying the story- what I didn't mess up, anyway. And there are quite a few mysterious characters, yes- but they'll all be revealed in time! ^_^

**Sword Master Jeff**: *is confused* Wait, so you're sorry I answered questions? Or did I not answer the questions? Ah, well- at least _one_ of them is sure to be answered in this chapter- you'll know where Serenity ended up! Thanks for the review!

**Rena**: I'm so glad you like the pairing! And yes, someone certainly has it in for Yugi. But here's the next installment, and thanks for reviewing!

**Sakura30**: I'm glad you thought it was funny. I loved writing that part! ^_^ And thanks so much for the review!

**starfire20042002**: Indeed. ^_^

**Chrono Cross**: Will she make it? You shall see... if I told you now, there'd be no point in writing the rest of this story.

Thanks also to anyone who reviewed my other stories and may be reading this one!

Wow. You people seriously rock. Reading your reviews makes me feel so happy! ^_^

Disclaimer: There are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's Mastercard. So why won't my Mastercard let me buy Yu-Gi-Oh??? *glares angrily at credit card*

Oh, I don't own Mastercard either. ^_^;; 

_Thoughts_

On with the story!

**Fading**

Chapter 6: A Decision Made

Yami stiffened, all his muscles tense and senses on the alert. There was no doubt about what he had just heard.

There was someone in his soulroom.

_Not now... I don't need this now. I have more important things to worry about..._ he shook his head. His eyes widened suddenly as he heard a loud **thud** behind him. It sounded as though the someone- or, now that he thought of it, more like several someones- had fallen from out of nowhere and hit the floor hard.

_If they're stunned, that could give me the chance I need..._ He had no more time to think on it. Raising his hands and whipping around, he prepared to throw a bolt of the simple shadow magic he _did_ remember how to use. The blue energy crackled and pulsed within his fingers as he prepared to release the bolt...

***

Serenity groaned and blinked frantically, trying to adjust her vision to the suddenly dim light. For some reason, she couldn't seem to move her legs... _I wonder why that is..._ she thought hazily.

She craned her neck to look over her shoulder- only to see that she was on the bottom of a tangled pile of arms and legs, consisting of herself, Joey, Tristan, and Téa. They looked to be in about as good of shape as she was.

"What the heck...?" Joey whispered dazedly. "Serenity, what'd you _do_?"

"It wasn't me!" whispered Serenity heatedly. "It was the Millennium thing! It took us... somewhere..." She shivered. It was cold and dank in the room, and lying on a hard stone floor wasn't exactly comfortable.

"Guys..." Téa's sudden remark sounded panicked. Serenity finally managed to free herself after much squirming and sat up, drawing her knees to herself. "Something wrong, Téa?"

The dark-haired girl looked speechless. Her blue eyes were terrified as she pointed, unable to form any further words. Serenity felt a chill go up her spine. _Is there someone... behind me?_ She could barely make her head move, but slowly she managed to turn her gaze to the dimly lit chamber situated behind her.

Her heart nearly stopped, and jade eyes widened in shock and fear. A dark, imposing figure stood in the shadows of the chamber, so far back she could barely make out the door behind it. Eyes flashed in the blackness. But that wasn't the terrifying part- the terrifying part was the glowing, snapping blue light emanating from the figure's raised hands.

Serenity squeaked; she felt Joey's protective arm around her shoulders and could hear Tristan draw in his breath sharply. As the glow increased, the light sparking and throwing the corner of the chamber into stark relief, Serenity, with a start, recognized the person's face.

He pulled back his hands to release the blast, a look of cold fury on his sharp features. As if in a dream, Serenity heard herself scream, "Yami! It's us!"

She saw the look of sudden understanding coupled with panic dawn on the spirit's face, and closed her eyes as the light grew to such a degree that it was unbearable to look at it at all...

***

Yami desperately tried to stop the growing orb of shadow magic. _You idiot, that's Serenity!_ he screamed at himself as he wracked his brain for the method of getting rid of the power he'd created.

Absolutely nothing came to mind.

The electricity of the magic sent sparks fluttering all over his soulroom, and his arms had begun to tremble from holding back the blast. _I can't fire it at them, though! What do I do now?_ As he felt the magical energies leaving his hands, he did the only thing he could think of.

He aimed straight up.

***

Serenity couldn't hold in a squeak of terror as she covered her ears, the blast rocking the dank room. The acrid smoke made her cough, stinging her throat, as she felt small pieces of stone litter down onto her face.

Finally she chanced to open her eyes- the bone-jarring shaking had ceased and she no longer felt the need to cover her ears. For a brief moment, she could see nothing through the haze; then, Yami seemed to materialize from out of nowhere, though she knew he'd been there the whole time.

Simultaneously, all five occupants of the room turned their attention to the damp, dripping ceiling. Barely any change existed as proof the blast had hit at all; but for a few pebbles on the floor and a tiny, almost miniscule, crack running along a few of the stones, it would have seemed that nothing had happened in the least.

Serenity turned her attention back to the spirit standing before them. His eyes betrayed his utter confusion; _actually, I probably look more lost than he does,_ Serenity admitted to herself. For a long moment there was a ringing silence; then, finally, Yami spoke, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Joey, Serenity, Téa, Tristan..." There was a beat, and then- "Why on earth are you in my soulroom?" 

***

Yugi shifted slightly, closing his eyes momentarily as a sudden jolt of pain flooded through his mind. The indigo vines drew themselves tighter around his limbs, and Yugi tried desperately to ignore the slice of pain that shot through his body as the barbed thorns left deep slashes across his skin.

He reopened his eyes to see a pair of eyes watching him, glittering with a twisted sort of amusement. Yugi lifted his chin and scowled darkly, the only way he could think of to show that he hadn't yet given up. 

"You do realize that you have no chance of escaping me, correct?" The voice was laced with a sudden coldness and echoed slightly, despite the masses of vines covering the walls and ceiling.

Yugi's eyes narrowed further. "D-d-don't put it p-past me..." he spat, managing to get the words out before being wracked with shivers again. _It's s-s-so... c-cold... in here..._ he inhaled sharply as pain surged through his leg, but refused to let himself make another sound. 

Suddenly, he felt a creeping touch across the back of his neck, coupled with the all-too-familiar stinging pain. His eyes widened in spite of himself as he fought to dislodge the new vine from around his throat. It coiled around, and he winced, breath coming in short gasps. As it drew itself tighter, Yugi felt a new sensation along with the pain and the cold- a black haze began to descend over his mind. Dimly he realized... _I can't breathe..._

A flash of gold light and the vines drew back, cringing away from the brightness. They retreated, leaving Yugi so suddenly that when he was freed he collapsed forward, holding himself up with shaking arms as he desperately gulped in air. He blinked hard, trying to get his vision straight again, but everything seemed so... out of focus. 

He dragged himself to his knees, body shuddering with the effort, and forced himself to look up, to meet the eyes that still watched him and the light from the Millennium Item that was only now fading away. _He scared away the thorns..._

"Wh-why?" Yugi finally whispered. He had almost no voice left, and the single word was almost more than he could manage. 

"Why, isn't it obvious?" A smirk crossed his face. "You're at least bright enough to realize what they are, correct?"

Yugi opened his mouth. "Darkworld... Thorns..." came his hoarse whisper. 

"Last time you were in the Shadow Realm, you came in contact with this creature, correct?" Yugi simply stared. _I'm not telling him anything more._ "I chose to make use of that, and through this claim the power I desire. Just know for the purpose of my plan, I may not eliminate you yet, annoyance though you are." He paused, running a hand through his hair. "And now that all the necessary pawns have arrived, my plan is in motion."

"Who?" Yugi managed, letting out a shuddering breath afterwards. Speaking and even staying awake was getting so hard... _Maybe 'cause I'm bleeding so much..._ he managed to think through the pain-induced fog around his brain.

"Ah... the Pharaoh, of course, those three fools you travel with so often... and the girl Serenity."

Yugi's eyes widened, and his muscles gave an involuntary jerk. _How are they here? What's happened?_

"Just... k-kill... me..." Yugi managed. _I don't want to die... but it'd be worse if he got to them because of me... I can't let that happen..._ "You c-coward... if your fight is with m-me... then leave my f-friends alone..." He was shivering so hard by this time the words were barely intelligible. He winced again, terror flooding his white face as he felt the thorns beginning to make their tentative way up his left leg. Pain, elevated to a new level, screamed in every part of his body. Specks of light danced in front of his vision.

The Darkworld Thorns coiled tighter... Yugi could hear himself screaming, but he no longer had the strength to stop it. _I can't... fall asleep... my friends... are..._

His desperate thought remained unfinished as he drifted once again into the ebony depths of unconsciousness.

***

"So, you're telling me that you used the Millennium Key to enter my soulroom and somehow managed to drag three others with you?" Yami questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Serenity nodded. "I know it sounds crazy, but that's what happened. I just wish I knew why we're here. I hoped that this thing could help Yugi..." she held the golden Ankh for a moment longer and then let it drop, where it hung like an odd sort of necklace. "But if we're not even where he is..."

"And if _you're_ stuck in here, then so are we..." added Tristan, giving an angry glance to the heavy stone door.

Yami was about to reply when suddenly, a piercing scream cut through the air. The color drained from his face. "Yugi..." he whispered, whirling and darting to the wall. 

Serenity's eyes filled with tears. _Yugi... he's hurt. I have to do_ something! _I have to... I love him..._

"Yami, what's out there?" Joey asked, voice tense. He took a nervous step toward the spirit, who had his eyes fixated on what he could see through the tiny hole.

"Take a look for yourself..." Yami whispered. He backed away, face nearly unreadable but for the look of fear in his sharp purple eyes.

Joey did so. After a moment, he backed away, eyes wide. "What _is_ that?"

Serenity, who had come up silently and taken a look for herself, rested her forehead against the stone wall. She clenched a fist, feeling more useless than she'd felt in a long time, as tears ran silently down her face. "It's the Darkworld Thorns..." she whispered. Turning tearful green eyes to Yami, she asked, "Isn't it?"

After a moment, the spirit nodded. Serenity closed her eyes and slid to sit on the floor, burying her head in her knees. She heard the hushed whisper of Yami's explanations as she sat, not wanting to hear that lived out again.

Finally, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up into Téa's blue eyes. "I know how you feel. We all care about him..." Téa broke off, tears constricting her voice. After a pause, she burst out passionately, overcoming the emotion. "But we can't do anything to help him by staying here!"

Serenity gave a shaky smile, though inside that was the last thing she felt like doing. "So... what can we do?"

"I... don't know." Yami looked crushed. "As you saw, my soulroom is nearly impenetrable- and I don't know anything more about my power than what I've already tried. It seems-"

A wild squealing filled the air. Serenity barely had time to see a brown blur go flying through the air, heading directly toward her, before she was bowled over by a fuzzy... something. _Ow..._ she rubbed her nose, but was more interested in the mysterious flying furball then her face.

Joey rubbed his forehead frustratedly. "_Now _what?"

"Kuri! Kuri!" The furball emitted determined squeaks as it threw itself at the soulroom door. The thumps were not make-believe ones.

"Hey! Stop!" Yami caught the thing as it backed up for another resolute charge. "What are you..." he blinked and did a double-take. "Kuriboh?"

The fuzzball in his arms struggled to get free, squealing all the while. "Kuri!" Its tiny "voice" grew more and more agitated and frustrated as it fought to make its meaning known, its purple eyes watery.

"Yami, isn't that one of yours and Yugi's Duel Monsters?" Téa asked confusedly, taking in the odd spectacle of the ancient spirit struggling to keep a grip on a tiny floating furball. 

Yami nodded, and winced as Kuriboh nearly jerked itself free, smacking into his face at full force. "My soulroom must have more secrets than I thought..." he grunted. "Kuriboh, hold still!"

Serenity almost wanted to laugh at the sight, but her awareness of Yugi's plight sucked the joy from the moment. "What does it want?"

"It looks like it wants out," Tristan observed quietly.

Kuriboh stopped struggling so suddenly that Yami nearly lost his balance. It took advantage of the moment to squeeze out of Yami's grip and simply hovered in the air, watching with hopeful eyes.

"But... what's out there that Kuriboh could want to get at?" Joey wondered aloud. "Except-" brown eyes widened with sudden understanding.

"-Yugi..." Serenity finished. "It wants to help Yugi, somehow."

Kuriboh resumed its high-pitched chitter as it gave the five standing there a hopeful look. Serenity blinked back tears. "Sorry, little guy..." she sniffled, her voice wavering. "But we're just as stuck as you are..."

Yami smiled, though there were tears in his own eyes. "Yugi has always had a soft spot for Kuriboh, because of its seeming lack of strength. Obviously Kuriboh is loyal to him because of that and can sense that he needs help."

Kuriboh looked immensely relieved that its message was understood. It gave the door a hopeful glance. Serenity shook her head again. "We can't get out that way... it's too thick." 

Kuriboh looked crestfallen. Suddenly, Yami's eyes lit with an idea.

_"We _may not be able to break through, and _Kuriboh_ may not be able- but it's possible that there is someone who can!"

Serenity snapped her head up. _Please, let whatever he's planning work._ "Who?"

"If I have one Duel Monster in the corridors of my mind, who's to say there aren't others? I remember..." Yami broke off, eyes narrowed in concentration. "Yugi was here once... with Shadi."

"With who?" Tristan commented.

"Shadi. The keeper of the Millennium Key."

"But..." Serenity blinked. "A woman gave me this." She held up the glossy golden Ankh.

Yami shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know who that was, but that belongs- or belonged- to Shadi. He was wandering the corridors of my mind- the two of them came across the Dark Magician! I'm sure of it!" The Pharaoh looked suddenly hopeful.

Serenity felt as though her heart had sprouted wings. "And you think that the Dark Magician could blast a way out of here?"

Yami nodded. "I'm almost certain. He has the dark magic that I can't remember how to use, and he'll obey me."

"Not to ruin the celebration, but where do we find him?" Téa asked tentatively.

Yami's face clouded. "That's what I _don't_ know..." he admitted. "And we don't have that much time, either. I don't want anything more to happen to Yugi." His eyes blazed with a sudden fire; Kuriboh let out a trill of agreement.

"So... what do we do?" Tristan asked, when the silence had stretched on for nearly ten seconds.

It took her a moment to realize it, but Serenity blushed when she saw all eyes were now fixed on her. "You want me to decide?" she squeaked, sounding not unlike Kuriboh.

"Who better?" Yami asked softly, voice gentle despite how worried he obviously was.

Serenity reflexively began to twirl a lock of chestnut hair. _Finding the Dark Magician could take hours... days, even. But... what other choice do we have?_ She felt tears spring to her eyes. _Yugi... please, hold on. I don't know how long this will take... and I just can't lose you... none of us can..._

Serenity lifted her eyes, the tears on her face made unimportant by the look of fire in her green eyes. She met Téa's blue ones, Tristan's gray ones, the dark eyes of her brother, Kuriboh's big purple ones, and finally, the pained violet of Yami's gaze.

"Let's go."

***

Hey, this isn't _really_ a cliffhanger, is it? Or at least, not so much as I've tended to do recently.

Again, I'm so, so sorry about the wait- I had a case of Writer's Block. But hey, soon the action shall begin as the five plus Kuriboh begin their search for the Dark Magician!

Anyway, I'd love to see a review from you! However, please don't flame me- flames are bad. Constructive criticism is absolutely fine, though! ^_^ So drop me a quick review and let me hear from you!

Hope you enjoyed this installment!

-Mittens no Hikari


	7. A Dangerous Search

Hi there, everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful day! ^_^ Thanks are in order to the following people:

**DJ Rodriguez**: *blushes* You give me way too much credit, DJ. But thanks so much for being such a great friend and reviewer. And... my wish... hmm... I wish I knew what happened after the end of "Somebody's Eyes." (If you don't have time to post it and write out a chapter, I completely understand. I may not be in college yet, but I have some idea of how busy it must be. So if you don't have time, then just summarize in a sentence or two in a review or e-mail? Pwease? *Chibi-Yugi-eyes*)

**Sword Master Jeff**: Aah. I see now. And whether it is Isis or not will be answered in due time... Thanks for the review!

**Dagger5**: Indeed, 'twas not _too_ evil. ^_^ Thanks so much, and I'm glad you like the story!

**Sakura30** Kuriboh, Kuriboh... *does the Kuriboh dance* I have a Kuriboh in my deck! ^_^ He's so cute and fuzzy... and thanks for the review!

**starfire20042002**: ^_^ That comment made me smile. Here's another chapter for you!

**Pooka228**: That's why I love Yugi so much. You summed it up perfectly. ^_^ And 'Takeover' has the makings of a good story, so keep on writing!

**Anime-crazed33**: Isn't Kuriboh adorable? Note the Kuriboh dance in previous review response... ^_^ And thanks so much for your support.

**hobbit13**: There's no need to apologize at all! I'm glad you're all right and everything- that's more important then whether you read my story, y'know? And yes, everything shall be explained... eventually... *shifty eyes*

**Nightlight5**: Could take awhile, indeed. In fact, I'm fairly lost myself- and I'm _writing_ this story! ^_^;; Thanks a zillion for your review!

**Jill**: Questions shall indeed be answered soon... and such. *backs away from threat of  assault by assorted objects* ^_^

**A Watcher**: I have something planned out, so you shall see... Thanks for the review!

**Sylver Pendragon**: Wow... I don't know what to say. Thank you SO much for the encouragement and everything, and I'm so glad you like the story. 

**squallwis04**: Glad you don't mind I made a mistake. And also very glad that you like the story! I love putting the Duel Monsters in- doing their personalities is so much fun. 

**NoZoMi aNd HoTaRu**: BWAHAHA! FUZZBALL! *repeats said Kuriboh dance*

**Secret9**: Hey, you're here! How'd you like the rest of "I'm With You"? And yes, you may have noticed I tend to write cliffhangers. It's the way my writing works... I have one MASSIVE one planned for later in the story... *grins evilly*

**Rena**: Indeed, I hope so. Thanks for dropping me a review!

**Helbaworshipper: **Glad you like it, and thanks so much for the encouragement!

Wow. I seriously never expected this many reviews. I was thinking 50 or so, maybe 75 at the most. And already, you people surpassed my imagination. Thanks so much. ^_^

Disclaimer: If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, this story would be transposed into Saturday morning episodes. ^_^

_Thoughts_

**Fading**

Chapter Seven: A Dangerous Search

Yami got to his feet quickly, turning his back on the obstacle of the heavy chamber walls and door. "If we're to search for the Dark Magician, then we must begin right away. There's no telling how long it will take."

Joey's face suddenly lit up. "Hey, I got an idea- always before when we've been dragged into an alternate dimension sort of thing, we've been able to summon our own monsters. So why not bring out something that can knock down the wall? I'm sure _one_ of us has something powerful enough in our deck."

"Joey's right!" put in Téa. "Didn't you have a Catapult Turtle or something?"

Yami shook his head. "That won't work," he said quietly, interrupting the group's elation. "You won't be able to bring out any creatures of your own. This is no virtual reality game, Joey."

"How do you know it won't work?" Joey asked, looking slightly put out.

"Because this is my mind we're in. You technically don't belong here, so you can't control it and change it. That's something only I can do, and I don't have any idea how. The Dark Magician is our best bet." Yami sighed and ran a hand distractedly through his hair.

"Are you sure it's here?" Serenity asked quietly, her question getting everyone's attention nonetheless. _If it's not... and we spend all that time looking..._ she left the though unfinished, fearing to start crying again if she were to allow herself to complete the sentence. 

Yami nodded. "I am certain," he said. "Yugi told me about it once..." the mention of Yugi made his voice tremble slightly. He continued resolutely. "He told how he and Shadi discovered a walkway which the Dark Magician guarded. All that's left is finding that place- which I suggest we begin to do immediately."

"But this place is massive!" Tristan exclaimed, his voice echoing off the damp walls and reverberating in the musty hallways. "There must be over a thousand doors!"

At those words, Kuriboh, who had remained silent for the main part of their conversation, perked up again and began voicing itself in its high, bubbling trill.

"What are you saying, Kuriboh?" Yami asked seriously, looking the little Duel Monster straight in its purple eyes. The small fuzzball chittered frantically, its "voice" becoming increasingly more insistent.

"I think it wants us to follow it..." Tristan said uncertainly. At his comment, Kuriboh turned to him and nodded, eyes closed in ecstasy at having someone to understand it. 

Yami smiled. "Very good, Tristan. That's exactly what it was telling us."

Tristan looked embarrassed. "Let's get going," he insisted, turning serious all of the sudden. "I don't want to leave Yugi in _there-_" he indicated the mass of thorns outside with a jerk of his head- "any longer than we have to." 

"Wait- hold up..." Joey said nervously. "Are we really gonna take directions from a Kuriboh?" 

"What other choice do we have?" Yami asked softly. After a moment, Joey sighed, giving in to the inevitable. 

Serenity stood, shaking chestnut hair from her face. Her olive-green eyes shone with a determined fire. _This time... I can do something to help. Hold on, Yugi... please, hold on._ "Kuriboh, lead the way."

***

_It's... cold... again..._

Yugi shuddered. He could barely feel his hands and feet. 

Unfortunately, the bitter numbness did nothing to allay the pain he felt as the thorns kept their painful grip.

The gold light flashed; the thorns cringed away. Yugi knew he shouldn't, but he let out a sigh, mixed with a cry of profound relief. _Even if it's just for a little while..._ he tried to maneuver himself into a more comfortable position, but no longer even had the strength to lift his head. 

Not that he would want to if he could... he was dizzy enough as it was. 

_I just hope... Serenity... and Yami... and Joey... Téa... Tristan..._ repeating the names in his head and seeing in his mind the familiar faces seemed to make some of the pain not matter quite so much. He felt a soft smile come to his face, only to have it vanish almost instantly when the rest of his thought struck him. _I hope..._

_Please... let them... be... okay..._

***

Serenity let out a long breath, turning yet another corner to enter yet another seemingly endless corridor. _Everything looks exactly the same._ She kept her eyes fixed on the Kuriboh in front of her, ignoring the growing feeling of going in circles.

They came to yet another place where their path branched off into two; Serenity had lost count of how many of these forks they had encountered after about twenty-five. Yami, who was leading, looked up at Kuriboh. "Now which way do we take?"

Kuriboh was silent. It looked from one path to the other, for the first time seeming unsure. As it hovered in the air, seeming unwilling to face the group, Joey finally voiced what all five of them were thinking.

"Don't tell me... we're lost..."

"Kuri..." came an almost inaudible sound from the tiny furball.

Yami looked at the Duel Monster, who still refused to meet any of their eyes. "Kuriboh..." His voice was powerful and commanding. A chill ran down Serenity's spine- _it's times like these when I really can believe he was the Pharaoh..._ she thought. "Kuriboh- do you know where we are?"

As if in a trance, the small creature turned and faced them. Its eyes were big and watery, and it kept its gaze fixed on the ground. Slowly, it shook itself left to right- its own way of saying no.

Téa broke the silence. "So... what do we do now?" Serenity noticed how hard she was trying not to sound accusing, but Kuriboh looked even more ashamed than before.

"What else can we do?" Yami's voice was brusque and businesslike, but as he continued to speak it cracked and wavered, much as he tried to hide it. "We have to keep going and hope that we choose the right way."

"So... which way are we going, then?" Serenity said quietly, eyes flickering from one dim, dark pathway to the other.

There was a brief, heavy silence that seemed to pound in the sudden stillness. Finally Serenity spoke again. "Well, let's take a vote. We're not getting anywhere by standing here." She took a deep breath. "Is it left, or right?"

"Who votes we go right?" Téa asked, her arm wavering by her side, as if she were not sure whether or not she wanted to raise her hand.

There was a second, oppressive silence.

Finally, Yami raised a hand slowly, somehow still managing to look as if he knew exactly what he was doing. At almost the same moment, Tristan and Joey did the same thing. Serenity looked nervously down the two pathways. _They're right..._ she realized. _The left just doesn't... look right..._ she let out the breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding and raised her own hand, only to see Téa's rising slowly into the air as well.

"I guess we're unanimous, then?" Tristan said, putting his hand down and rubbing his forehead nervously. 

"Guess so..." Téa answered, looking apprehensively at the dark tunnel that lay ahead. Yami did not say another word; he simply began to walk, looking as though he was being swallowed by the murky darkness beyond. Serenity had to half-run to keep up with the spirit, the dejected Kuriboh now silent in her arms. Behind her she could hear the hurried footsteps of her brother, Téa, and Tristan.

For a long while, there was silence, broken only by the quiet footsteps that fell in rhythm with each other. Finally, Serenity ventured a question. 

"Yami?"

The spirit nodded slightly, but did not slow his pace.

"Why is this happening to Yugi now?"

Yami gave little indication that he had heard the question except for the fact he stumbled slightly when Serenity had finished. He looked as though he was trying not to cry.

"I don't know," he said quietly. "It makes no sense, that all of the sudden the Darkworld Thorns would become active with no real cause. But it makes even less sense that something- or someone- has to do with this whole mess. The Millennium Key is the only way I can think of to enter another's soul room."

"What about..." Joey sounded as if he were reliving a memory he didn't particularly like. "What about Marik and his Millennium Rod?" He shuddered involuntarily, reflexively rubbing his forehead.

Yami frowned. "If he can enter soul rooms as well as control minds, I'm not aware of it." He looked down at the stone floor. "But then, I seem to be unaware of quite a few things, don't I?" His proud voice was full of self-rebuke.

Serenity sighed as she broke into a trot; Yami seemed to be increasing his speed steadily. It was plain he didn't want to talk about it any longer, so she focused on the path ahead. 

"Hey, it looks like the tunnel ends soon," Téa whispered, panting slightly from the blistering pace. 

Serenity raised her eyes to see a high archway only about a hundred or so feet ahead. Beyond that, it looked as if there was a large, open chamber. _Maybe we made it!_ She couldn't disguise her relief, and she didn't particularly want to try. 

Suddenly a loud clicking noise sounded, echoing in the empty, still air. Serenity blinked, confused. What on earth was that?

"Down!"

Yami's sudden shout startled her into obeying; behind her, she could hear Joey, Tristan, and Téa dropping quickly to the floor as well.

It was not a moment too soon. Overhead, blue lightning shot across the tunnel widthwise and ricocheted from wall to wall, running the entire length of the tunnel. The sheer energy made Serenity's hair stand on end. Glittering blue sparks showered like rain on either side of them, landing on the damp stone and going out with a hiss. The electricity crackled loudly, showing no signs of abating.

"What's happening?" Joey stammered nervously, pulling himself lower to the ground.

"This has to be one of the traps set to guard my memories," Yami said, looking more relieved than anything else. "We're lucky we avoided that one."

"Can't we turn it off?" Téa asked, voice wavering as she gave a frightened glance to the silent lightning above.

"I don't think so, Téa," Tristan said quietly. 

Kuriboh's sudden squeak got their attention. Everyone looked to see the small Duel Monster floating down the tunnel, directly under all the lightning.

Joey blinked. "Are we gonna...?"

"Looks like it, Joey," Yami said, sounding faintly amused. "Everyone, follow Kuriboh's lead- and whatever you do, _stay low_!"

Serenity almost whimpered, looking at the harsh, jagged blue electricity that every so often sparked perilously close to her head. Taking a deep breath, she formed a picture of Yugi in her mind. _He'd do the same thing for me._ And with that thought, she was moving, nose nearly brushing the ground as she kept her face almost to the floor in her attempts at staying below the lightning.

For a long while, it was silent. No one said a word, as they focused on one thing only- the end of the tunnel, where the ceiling of lightning ended. Serenity was holding her breath, taking in air only when her lungs burned so much she couldn't stand it any longer. She bit her tongue, fighting back the growing feeling of panic. _I want out of here..._

"Keep going. We're almost there." Yami's voice was strained and clipped, sounding as if he were beginning to feel the same way. Kuriboh serenely led the way, making no sound at all as it floated peacefully through the hall.

Serenity was trying not to panic, but the heat of the lightning was disconcerting; the sparks that fell around them in thick showers only added to her fear. She didn't even realize she'd stopped moving until she heard her brother's voice.

"Serenity, you're doing fine. Just keep moving. Almost there now..."

"It's too close..." she whispered, covering her head with her hands and closing her eyes, trembling uncontrollably. "Please, someone get me out of here..." The air was hot and charged with energy; her hands began to shake, and she couldn't get a grip on the stone.

"Serenity! Don't panic! You're nearly there!" Yami's voice penetrated the fog of her fear briefly. _But the lightning... I can't stand up..._

"Come on, Serenity!" Tristan encouraged gently. "You're doing fine. You have enough space. Just keep moving..."

Serenity was shuddering, and couldn't seem to stop. _Just a little more... oh please, let it be just a little longer..._ she took in a deep breath, and crawled another few inches.

"That's it!" Yami sounded relieved. "Only ten more feet now... nine..." Serenity squeezed her eyes closed as she made a desperate attempt for the end.

Suddenly, she felt someone grasp her forearms and drag her out of the tunnel. The rush of cool air was a blessing; she gasped it in unashamedly, tears streaming from her closed eyes. After a few moments, when her hands had stopped shaking, she dared to open her eyes.

They were all there, peering at her worriedly. Joey, in particular, looked very concerned. Serenity gave them a shaky smile. She ran a hand back through her hair; it was damp with sweat.

"Are you all right, Serenity?" Yami's deep voice sounded anxious.

She nodded. "Now that I can move around, I am..." She chanced a glance back at the tunnel; the lightning had vanished, and now the path looked innocent and harmless. "I just... don't like being trapped like that."

Téa twirled a lock of her dark hair. "Neither did I..." she shivered reminiscently, shooting her own apprehensive look at the passage. Then she brightened. "But we made it, didn't we!"

Serenity nodded, relieved; she finally relaxed. _I'm out of that horrible, cramped place..._

Kuriboh chattered; everyone turned their attention to the small fuzzball. Satisfied, it indicated with a backward glance that they should be continuing.

"Kuriboh's right," Serenity answered, even though it hadn't technically spoken. "We need to get going." Her joy short-lived, she looked at her hands, feeling tears well in her eyes again. She blinked them hurriedly away; _I need to help Yugi more than I need to cry about it,_ she insisted to herself.

With a nod, Yami helped her to her feet. She felt a rush of joy at being able to stand up straight, and shot a defiant glance at the path behind her.

"So, I guess that we're not quite there yet, huh?" Téa asked, sounding disappointed. The chamber they were in was large, airy, and open- and had only one door, Serenity was relieved to note- but there was no trace of any Duel Monsters anywhere.

"Well, let's go then," Tristan said. "If this isn't where we need to be, then let's get to the place that is."

Serenity had barely taken a single step forward when the ground began to rumble beneath her feet. She and the others shared nervous looks as the noise grew steadily louder. 

Suddenly, with a loud **crack**, the ground beneath them began to collapse. Serenity screamed; she lost her balance as the floor gave another lurch, throwing her backwards. 

A ripple began in the stone, like an ocean wave growing steadily larger. As it came closer and closer, Téa was thrown forward before she could react; the others fell backwards into the wall of the chamber.

"Téa!" all four shouted at once, as the blue-eyed girl struggled to keep her balance on the ever-shifting stone. As the middle of the room began to collapse, her eyes flickered to the holes left behind.

_Wait!_ Serenity's green eyes widened as she saw pillars emerging from the wreck of the room, staying in their place as the remainder of the floor crumbled. All she could do was pray Téa saw them as well...

A huge **crack** split the air, and a look of fear coupled with sudden understanding crossed Téa's face. Beginning to run, she made a long, desperate ballet leap, landing with a thud on the stone of the nearest pillar, seconds before the floor collapsed completely, stones tumbling soundlessly into the black chasm that had opened below.

Serenity let out a shaky breath, looking nervously at the stone beneath her feet. It had formed a sort of platform on which their group, minus Téa, now stood. She turned her attention to more important things.

"Téa, are you all right?" Serenity called out, as her friend slowly climbed to her feet.

"Fine..." Téa said, voice shaking slightly. "That was close-" she was cut off by a harsh sound of stone grating on stone. The pillar she was on began to wobble and tilt dangerously, leaning further and further to the right. Téa struggled to keep her balance, finally dropping to her knees and clinging to the opposite edge of the round platform.

With deliberate slowness, the crazy tilting stopped, only to begin to wobble to the other side. Joey had a death grip on Serenity's shoulder as they watched in terror. Téa looked as though she couldn't hold on for much longer, and the tilting was only becoming steeper.

"Téa!" Yami called out desperately. "Get to the middle! NOW!" She obviously heard the spirit's shout as she somehow managed to drag herself to the center of the platform, huddling there as the pillar swung in a slow circle before finally settling to the center, still for the moment.

For a long while there was silence. Finally, it was Téa herself who ventured-

"What do we do now?"

***

How was that? I hope I didn't bore anyone... I'd love to get a review from you and hear your opinion! 

Oh, and I have a favor to ask. I'd like to conduct a sort of poll among my reviewers... here's what I'd like to know. As this is a sequel, I want to know how it is you happened upon this story. Did you read "I'm With You" and then wait for this one? Did you find this first, go back and read "I'm With You" and then read this one? Did you skip the prequel altogether? Or did you not read either of them (in which case I'm not sure what you're doing here. ^_^)? I'd love to know!

Another question: should I do review responses like I always have? Or would you rather I skip those from now on and get to the story?

Finally, please review and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please don't flame, however- constructive criticism= good, flame= bad. And thanks for reading!

~Mittens no Hikari


	8. Balance

O.O

Pretty... numbers... *shakes self out of daze*

Thanks SO MUCH for all of your reviews. And... yes... I am alive... school finally caught up with me (I wrote a 27-page English paper in four days!), and I'm in a play that practices after school every day till 10, and...

Anyway, I am _so_ sorry for the late update, and I promise that I'll do better from now on. Really! I promise! *hides from furious reviewers*

Well, as popular demand requests, the review responses remain. ^_^ But before I do those, I have a shoutout to... DJ Rodriguez! Let's all sing 'Happy Birthday!'

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday dear DJ

Happy birthday to you!

Yay! *passes out party hats and cake* _Now_ I do review responses:

**Anime-crazed33**: I know, isn't he just so adorable? *gives you a fuzzy Kuriboh plushie* And thanks so much for your review and your compliments.

**DJ Rodriguez**: DJ, 'Somebody's Eyes' was beautiful. Again, thanks so much, for that and for your review. And actually, this is, quite literally, a cliffhanger... ^_^ And I'd love that idea you sent me, about the other fic. *sighs and goes off into La-La Land*

**Jill**: And here, as you requested, are the reviewer responses! Thanks for the review, and beware of falling plushies. ^_^

**Pooka228**: Indeed, I shall always know you as the Riddle-Solver of 'I'm With You'. And thanks so much for your review and your encouragement... 

**hobbit13**: Indeed, following Kuriboh may not have been the _best_ idea... ^_^;; And explanations are but a chapter or two away...

**A Watcher**: They are getting _somewhere_... it just may not be the _right_ somewhere. *shifty eyes* But then, it may be... it is not for me to say. At least, not yet.

**Chrono Cross**: Glad you like the story, and thanks for the encouragement!

**Sword Master Jeff**: Serenity's only the temporary holder of the Millennium Key, so she can't exactly sense which way is right... but did you notice, they all had a feeling that they should take the right path rather than the left?

**Sakura30**: ^_^ Your review made me smile... Bakura wants to e-mail his fellow world destroying associates, huh? And I'll try to make chapters longer from here on in...

**Sylver Pendragon**: *blushes* I'm glad you liked 'I'm With You' and I'm glad you're enjoying the story. *gives you a fuzzy Kuriboh plushie as well* He's so cute... ^_^

**Zekintha**: Well, even if you're not reading it, thanks for the review and the encouragement- and as you are a fellow Kuriboh fan... *gives out another fuzzy Kuriboh plushie*

**yokai the tiger demond**: Actually, I am a Téa fan. I'd like to know something- why do you hate Téa, exactly? I'm curious... and thanks a lot for your review and your kind words.

**Una1**: *turns beet red* Thank you so much... I'm so glad you like my stories, and about the other review you gave me- I'd be honored to be featured on your website. I like writing Serenity... she comes easily to me, and I think she has more strength than people give her credit for (as does Yugi).

**Helbaworshipper**: Thanks so much for taking the time to review and for your kind words.

**Nightlight5**: I guess 'cliffhanger' ought to be my middle name, seeing as I write them so often. Either that or romance. *ponders* Ah, well, glad you got to read the end of the chapter and glad to see you're still enjoying my story!

**Secret9**: What happens next is the reason I'm here. ^_^ Thanks so much for reviewing!

**squallwis04**: I managed to stay out of a half-day-long daze this time, at least... I'm awake enough to answer my own reviews. And the cliffhanger was rather subtle... *nods* But I have one planned for a few chapters from now that I can't wait to do... *evil grin*

**Erinamation-limited2-nothing**: Many thanks to you. *curtsies* ^_^

**NoZoMi aNd HoTaRu**: Well, I couldn't very well make it easy to find our friend the Dark Magician... then where'd the story be? Thanks so much for reviewing!

**Dagger5**: It means a lot to me to hear you say that. It also makes me reminisce about when I was first writing 'I'm With You'... *shudders at the formatting... or lack thereof* I still love that story, though... seeing as it was my first non-one-shot.

**Cuteprincess0333**: Thanks much for the review and the input!

O.O That's a lot of reviews. You people rock. Seriously... you're so _nice_... thank you so much. 

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh is not mine. It never was mine. In a realistic world, it will never be mine. But who wants to be realistic anyway?

_Thoughts_

On with the story!

**Fading**

Chapter Eight: Balance

Téa's question drew nothing but a heavy silence. No one seemed to have any idea of what was going on, let alone what they could do to remedy the sudden trap that had so unexpectedly lent danger to their path.

Yami let out a sigh. Serenity could see the stress in the spirit's eyes. _I think I understand part of why he's so frustrated, too,_ she thought. _I suppose he feels like he really ought to know his own mind._

Joey finally was the one to break the silence with a question that sounded as if he'd asked it for the sole purpose of saying something. "You holdin' out okay, Téa?"

She shot him a look, but the anger on her face melted away, replaced by barely-concealed terror. Her hands were shaking, but she nevertheless shot the group a smile. "I'm doing fine over here, so don't worry about me," she murmured, before peering over the edge of the pillar. She closed her eyes quickly at the sight and swallowed hard.

Serenity, meanwhile, was thinking hard. They didn't have time to stand around here and wait- they had to think of a way out of this, and fast.

Téa sighed and shifted her weight. A grating sound echoed in the stillness as the pillar began to slide again, tilting precariously to the left. Téa's eyes shot open and she immediately scrambled back to her original position with speed born out of panic. "Guess moving isn't the best idea..." she said weakly, trying to smile and failing somewhat.

"Well, what are we going to do? We can't just hang around in here for the rest of eternity," Tristan said, his quiet patience obviously exhausted. "We've gotta get across there, and there's no other way but on the pillars."

Serenity's mind felt clouded. She fought to come up with an idea, staring at the pillars and at the door all the way across the room. _There_ is _no way around them, so we have to go across, but how? They'll just tilt like crazy whenever someone new gets on. There has to be a safer way._ Serenity looked again at the towering stone columns, her hopes sinking faster than a popped balloon. _But... I don't think there really is._

Yami snapped his head up from where he had been moodily staring into the dark chasm below. "I have an idea," he said. Startled, the entire group turned to look at him, Téa included. Yami cleared his throat and looked at the far side of the room again.

"There is no real safe passage across," he said quietly. "Or, if anyone has thought of one, please share it immediately."

No one spoke. Yami opened his mouth and continued, red-violet eyes flashing in the dim chamber. "We've got no choice but to travel on the pillars, and there's not much we can do in the way of making sure they're stable, either. We're going to have to try to make it using balance."

Yami took a step forward. "Téa, are you all right?" His voice was gentle, but beneath is there was a hint of urgency. 

Téa let out a long, shaky breath and nodded. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be in this place, anyway," she said. "What do you need me to do?"

Yami stepped over to the edge of the chasm. "Téa, I need you to move toward me," he told her. She tensed, unable to resist looking down at the darkness below her. Yami's powerful voice brought her out of her frightened reverie. "Téa, look at me." She tore her eyes from the gaping canyon.

"Téa, I know you're frightened, but Yugi needs our help." Téa's blue eyes shimmered with tears, but she raised her chin and nodded. 

"All right..." she whispered. "Here goes." Squeezing her eyes shut, she scooted a few inches forward, clinging to the opposite edge of the platform as if her life depended on it.

Ominously, the pillar creaked and groaned, the harsh rasping of stone on stone grating on Serenity's ears. She didn't even raise her hands to cover them, though- instead, she watched, transfixed, fists clenched at her sides. _Please, let this work, and please, let it work safely,_ she prayed silently, green eyes wide.

Slowly, the platform began to lean forward, wobbling slightly from side to side. Yami was motionless, watching as the stone came nearer and nearer.

"All right, Téa. When I say, I want you to get as far to the other side as you can. Do you understand?" Téa nodded determinedly and braced herself. Yami looked like a cat, ready to spring upon its unsuspecting prey as the pillar drew ever closer, Téa doing her best to keep from sliding too far to the edge.

Suddenly, in a blur of motion, Yami leapt, shouting out, "Now!" as he did so. Immediately, Téa shoved backwards, scrabbling across the stone to the other edge as Yami came flying through the air to land safely on the nearest edge of the round column. The pillar protested at this sudden shift in weight, swinging wildly in a circle and nearly whipping Téa off the edge. She clung to the stone, keeping herself low to the ground, as Yami fought to keep his balance and regain his feet. He stumbled toward the center, arms outstretched in an attempt to stay standing as the column pitched and swayed beneath him. Finally, almost grudgingly, the motion slowed and came to a stop.

Serenity let out a breath she didn't even know she'd been holding. Beside her, she heard Joey and Tristan do the same thing. Kuriboh let out a high-pitched squeal. Serenity started; she'd almost forgotten it was there.

Yami waited only a moment or so before asking, "Serenity, are you ready?"

Serenity jumped. _I wasn't expecting that_ I'd _have to go next._ She clasped her hands together behind her back to hide their trembling and took a deep breath. She opened her mouth to reply. "I'm ready," she said , more loudly than she had intended. She winced as her voice echoed off the walls of the chamber.

"All right. Téa, you stay where you are. I'm going to tilt this thing. When Serenity jumps, go toward the opposite side- we need to balance the weight or there's no telling which way we'll tilt next." Téa nodded, taking note of the instructions, as Yami began to edge toward the side closest to the rest of the group, one foot planted firmly in the center of the pillar, the other slowly sliding across the cool stone.

The familiar grating sounded as Serenity moved forward to stand at the edge of the chasm. She could feel Joey's worried eyes on her back. "Be careful, Serenity. Understand?"

She nodded, not daring to trust her voice just then. She kept her eyes fixated on the edge she had to reach as it inched toward her. Yami's face was tense with concentration as he stretched further, the pillar moving smoothly in a more-or-less straight line. _Just a bit further..._

Yami's voice cut through the tense stillness. "Now!"

Serenity only had time to think a brief prayer. _Please, someone help me._ In a blur of movement, she pushed as hard as she could manage with her legs and went flying over the gap, crashing into the spirit of the Pharaoh and sending them both down in a heap. Téa had taken her station at the opposite end, but the combined weight of Yami and Serenity was causing the platform to wobble dangerously.

"Get to the middle!" Tristan shouted from behind her. His voice was laced with panic and drove itself into Serenity's mind. She fought to make her trembling limbs do as she commanded, even as her mind began to race. _It's tilting too far, I can feel it, there's no way-_ no. _I_ can _make it still. I have to._ Blowing a strand of hair out of her face, Serenity dug her nails into one of the crevices between the bricks forming the column and dragged herself forward. _Hey, this is no problem. Just like pull-ups at school,_ she informed herself as her arm muscles strained.

Suddenly, through a daze, she realized that the pillar had straightened out. She wasn't sliding around any more. Letting out a profound sigh, she dared to sit up, looking around her. 

If the situation hadn't been so serious, she would have burst into giggles. She was sitting almost daintily in the exact center of the pillar's top. Yami was lying on his stomach, chin in his hands, diagonally across the circle. Téa was in a position that only she could have managed- she was doing the splits across the far end of the platform, her face genuinely confused.

"Well, that wasn't so bad," Serenity managed, after getting her breath back. She couldn't help but smile this time.

Yami cautiously sat up; the platform didn't seem to mind, and allowed it. He turned to the girls, his face serious but his eyes holding a hint of amusement. "Obviously three on a platform isn't the best idea," he said.

"You got that right," came Joey's voice. Serenity looked over- he looked terrified, as if he'd nearly suffered a heart attack. She sent him a look that said she was fine; he relaxed slightly.

"So now what?" Tristan asked, absently scratching the Kuriboh's fur. It had settled itself on his shoulder and was purring enthusiastically.

"We have to think in terms of balance, Tristan. One of you needs to come next. How can we balance out the weight without crowding this platform too much?" Yami asked. The question seemed more directed toward himself than the group, almost as if he were thinking out loud.

"How about..." Joey pondered for a moment. Then his dark eyes lit up. "Yami, you hop to the next platform and Tristan'll take your place on that first one. Téa and Serenity could pretty much balance it out, right?"

"I think one of us would have to stay toward the center," said Téa, deep in thought. "Two people are obviously going to be heavier than just one, so if I stay over on the edge and Serenity goes a little closer to the middle, we should be able to keep it steady."

"Nice work, Joey," Yami said, standing slowly and shooting his friend an approving look.

"Yeah," Tristan said, grinning. "You actually came up with a good idea for once." Joey shot him a venomous glare and gave him an "accidental" shove.

"All right." Yami took a deep breath and leapt. Serenity was flung backwards as the column rocked and swayed from the sudden change in balance. With the silence of a cat landing on its feet, Yami hit the next platform and crouched there, waiting out the inevitable tilting and wobbling.

Serenity and Téa shared a look before Serenity began to inch forward, determined not to look down. It was one thing when Yami was there; he seemed to know what he was doing and spoke with such confidence that Serenity was certain they would be safe. But now, with the spirit on a new pedestal, separated by a gap of a few feet across and an untold distance down, she suddenly felt very much alone.

_Do this for Yugi,_ she told herself firmly. She winced involuntarily at remembering his pain-filled scream, at seeing the thick, barbed thorns and knowing what must be happening. _Yugi, hold on. We're coming._

The pillar began its familiar journey, slowly leaning to the side. _Very_ slowly. After about fifteen seconds of movement so slow it was barely movement at all, Serenity had had enough. _This is ridiculous. We're running out of time._ She took another step forward.

The pillar lurched, throwing her wildly off-balance. It began to tip rapidly, swinging first right, then left, all the while continuing to slant more and more.

Serenity stumbled backward, overcorrecting herself in a panic. The pillar grated to a stop, but it had already begun to go in the other direction.

Luckily, Tristan had seen what was happening. In a split second he had jumped, landing solidly on the pillar. His gray eyes flashed as he waited out the rocking and swaying that followed.

Serenity sighed in relief. Her legs suddenly seemed to have reverted to jelly; try as she might, she couldn't seem to make them stop trembling. "Thanks, Tristan..." she murmured, sitting down with her head in her hands.

"Don't mention it," he said warmly. His smile faded away, replaced by a look of determination. "So, now what?"

As voices chimed in, coming up with how to once again balance the pillars, Serenity felt a feeling of frustration growing within her. In her mind, she knew that trying to rush through this could be deadly. _But..._

_Yugi may be running out of time..._

***

He could see their faces in his mind.

Serenity... green eyes, chestnut hair, and the most beautiful smile in the world.

Yami... almost like him... but not quite...

Joey... blond hair, cocky grin... yes, that was Joey.

Téa... blue eyes... she was a dancer.

Tristan... quiet... tall...

He squeezed his eyes shut tighter. He had to keep remembering, had to see their faces in his mind. 

He had to know what he was holding on for.

He dimly remembered once, having been in a situation like this before. The Shadow Realm had consumed his identity... he had wandered alone for a long time before their voices had brought him back.

He didn't want to lose himself again.

It hurt. Everything hurt. He couldn't move for the pain, couldn't even manage to open his eyes anymore. He wanted so badly to cover his ears when the mocking laugh sounded, when the voice taunted him and told him his friends were coming for him, coming straight into the trap set in his mind.

_Just remember them. You know who they are. Go through them again._

"Serenity, Yami, Joey, T-téa, Tristan, Bakura... D-duke... Mai..." his voice was no more than a rasping whisper in the stillness. He winced as pain shot through his senses. The thorns were tightening their grip... he could feel it even through the freezing numbness of the cold.

_Don't forget. You know who you are. You are Yugi._

"Bakura... Mai... Duke..."

_Remember. You live in Domino. You have a name._

"T-tristan... Téa... J-j-joey..."

_You go to Domino High. You play Duel Monsters._

"Yami..."

_Don't let yourself fade away. You have a name. You have a life. Remember. You have to remember. You have to know what you're living for._

"Serenity..."

***

Serenity paused, about to leap from the last platform. For a moment... she had heard him. 

"Guys, did you..." her question was cut off by the looks on her friends' faces.

"I heard him." Her brother was more serious than she had seen him in a long time. "I heard his voice... somehow. He sounded... weaker."

"Like he was... fading away." Téa's head was cocked to the side, her eyes narrowed as she desperately tried to catch another wisp of Yugi's voice. The fleeting echo was long gone, the soft timbre of his voice too weak to provide much of a resonation, even in such a large, hollow chamber.

Kuriboh's big lavender eyes were watery and frightened as it briefly chattered before falling silent in fear for its master. It had taken its place beside Tristan's head again, seeming to enjoy the view from atop the taller teen's shoulder. Beside it, Joey and Téa had also finished the perilous journey to the opposite side. Yami, too, had finished the journey across the chasm, and was brushing himself off, having landed not-so-gracefully on his final jump.

Serenity did a double take. Yami's face was white as a ghost, and he looked both frightened and furious at once. His red-violet eyes glimmered in the shadows.

"Yami? Is something wrong?" Serenity finally ventured.

The spirit looked at her. "I can barely feel Yugi any longer," he whispered brokenly. "Our bond is vanishing... like he's slowly fading away." 

Serenity felt icy terror flood through her veins. _He can't be already... we haven't even found the Dark Magician yet._

"But... he's not gone, is he?" Téa asked, voice quivering. "I mean... he's still..."

Yami nodded. "Yugi's still holding out, but he's in so much pain... he's barely hanging on. We have to get there fast."

Serenity's eyes blurred with tears as she took a step toward the edge of the platform. Suddenly, as if in a dream, she felt her foot slipping from the edge. Dimly, she thought to herself, _I should have been more careful..._ Then blind panic surged through her mind and she grabbed out wildly for something, anything to hold on to. She heard her brother's shout, Téa's cry, the Pharaoh's gasp of shock...

...and felt a furry something beneath her arms.

She opened one eye to see the tiny Kuriboh, straining to keep itself in the air as she clung to it in a death grip. Despite the little creature's mightiest efforts, she could feel herself slowly sinking downward, as Kuriboh, doing its best to stay aloft, slowly sank with her.

She heard a muffled thump above her head as Joey threw himself down onto the hard stone of the floor. She didn't want to let go of Kuriboh, but under the circumstances...

Serenity stretched one arm as high as she could. Joey strained to reach her, but try as he might, his fingertips were a good half-foot away from touching his sister's trembling hand. 

Serenity's hand had begun to slip. In a panic, she yanked it down and clutched Kuriboh with both hands again. Still the little Duel Monster fought valiantly to stay in the air, but every moment cost it a bit more of its strength- and a bit more altitude.

Serenity heard a thud above her, along with an urgent conversation. Suddenly she saw Téa descending slowly, almost as if she were rock climbing. She used her feet to push off  the dank wall and lower herself further, her blue eyes narrowed in concentration and hand stretched out. Above her, in the dimming light, she could see both Tristan and Joey holding on tightly to Téa's other hand, while Yami kept a firm hold on the backs of both their shirts. Swallowing hard in fear, she again managed to remove her hand from Kuriboh's thick brown fur and stretched her arm as far as it could go, muscles screaming in protest. 

Her fingertips just managed to brush Téa's. The dark-haired girl didn't wait for anything more; she immediately grabbed Serenity's hand, holding onto the younger girl's wrist tightly as Serenity felt herself slowly being pulled upward. She tried her best to help by digging the toes of her shoes into the wall, pushing upwards as the three boys at the top continued dragging her out of the chasm. She could see the light growing as she neared the top. _Just a few more inches and..._

With a final pull, the boys levered Téa and Serenity out of the murky darkness. The five collapsed in a heap, breathing shakily. Serenity's heart was pounding, and adrenaline was coursing through her veins. _That was... close..._ was all she could bring herself to think.

Joey let out a deep sigh and hugged Serenity roughly around the shoulders. "Be careful, next time, sis," was all he said. Serenity flinched; she could tell she had worried him.

"Téa, Tristan, Joey, Yami- thank you," she murmured softly, passing her hand briefly over her eyes in a belated gesture of fear. A quiet squeak sounded at her right ear, and she smiled in spite of her still-racing heart. "And you, Kuriboh."

"Don't mention it," all four said at once. Kuriboh chimed in with a high-pitched squeal, its eyes closing in happiness. Téa and Serenity grinned at each other, Serenity's eyes showing her sincere gratitude, Téa's reflecting sincere relief.

Yami cleared his throat quietly and looked down. It was enough to shake the group out of their jubilant mood and return them to the task at hand. Serenity could feel the joy fading, replaced by worry for Yugi. _We have to find him... fast._

"Let's keep going, then," Tristan said, climbing to his feet, Kuriboh taking its place atop his shoulder. One by one, the others clambered to their feet. Yami once again took the lead, moving cautiously but at great speed. It was plain there was nothing he wanted so much as to find his hikari.

It was only a brief time before the long, dark passageway opened into a vast chamber. The walls were inticately carved with a repeating pattern- it looked reminiscent of what Serenity knew of Ancient Egypt. Torches lit the hall, burning in golden brackets at intervals and casting a dancing crimson glow over the room. Serenity felt her eyes widen at the sight- the chamber was beautiful, in a frightening, resplendent sort of way.

The group passed through the hall silently, none wanting to disturb the silence. Their shoes made soft thumping noises on the tiled marble floor as they drew nearer and nearer to the end of the chamber. A huge golden door stood imposingly, as if daring them to touch it.

Tentatively, Yami reached out and pushed on the door with his palm. It didn't budge. "Stuck," he said. "This must be another test."

Téa suddenly gasped. "Look!" she said, pointing to the floor beneath them. Hieroglyphics covered the final marble tile, etched deeply into the stone. As the five watched, amazed, the letters seemed to blur before their eyes, and quite suddenly, they were looking at words that they could recognize.

_The bringer of life 'gainst the smoldering sun_

_The bringer of death when the heavy rains come_

_The center of all, and the empire's border_

_Between up and down it keeps lands in order_

_Though backwards it moves, move us forward it does_

_Still exists in this time, and in past times, it was_

_If to pass through this door is the goal of your heart_

_Then say now the answer, or you _must_ depart_

"A riddle..." whispered Serenity. She winced; this brought back painful memories of her and Yugi's imprisonment in the Shadow Realm. And now, it seemed as if there were no way for her to help him again...

"We must get through. We need to find the Dark Magician so we can get to Yugi," said Yami, fire and passion heating his normally calm, confident tones. "So... does anyone know the answer?"

***

^_^

You know what _this_ means! 

I have written yet another riddle (though this one's not as good as my first, in my opinion) and would like to see if my readers can untangle it. So, the first to send me the correct answer in a review or e-mail shall receive a prize of their liking, be it a chapter dedication, a small role in my story, a mentioning in my bio, a commissioning of a short fic of their own, et cetera. 

I'm SO sorry that this took so long to get out- but after tomorrow's performance, the play is over and I'll have more time to write. I'll miss the play... but it's great to be back on FanFiction.net again!

Please, drop me a review and tell me what you think! But please, no flames... constructive criticism, however, is appreciated! ^_^

Thank you so much, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

-Mittens no Hikari


	9. A Villain Revealed

Is anyone out there, or did I drive you all away with my late updates? I'm really sorry... I really am. I know this has taken me forever...

Anyway, because of the crackdown on Author's Notes and whatnot, as well as the fact that I suppose everyone out there would rather I just get to the story, I will- unfortunately- not be doing review responses, nor will my author's notes be as long anymore. I'm sorry! If you want me to respond, I will by e-mail. Just tell me so and I'll write you- it's the least I can do for your reviews!

Anyways, thank you SO MUCH to all my reviewers, and now I had better start the story.

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh is not mine.

_Thoughts_

Off we go!

**Fading**

Chapter Nine: A Villain Revealed

Serenity's eyes began to tear up as she studied the riddle. In her mind, she continually admonished herself, repeating the words over and over. _Keep calm, keep calm. Freaking out isn't going to help Yugi. Just stay calm and think this through..._ It was no use. Her heart was pounding in her ears and her fingers were trembling, despite how tightly she tried to lock them together.

The words carved deeply into the marble tile seemed to swim before her eyes, as she fought her brain, which seemed to want to frustrate her by working as slowly as possible. _The bringer of life... but of death... it moves backwards..._ she shook her head in sheer frustration. _I can't figure this out! I don't know!_

Joey seemed to be feeling the same way. Beside her, he was muttering to himself, studying the words intently. Finally he wheeled back and, with surprising speed, kicked the golden door as hard as he could. The loud crack echoed through the chamber, a musical undertone from the gold haunting the noise.

"Joey, that won't help," Téa told him angrily. "Chill out, and let the rest of us think!"

Joey whirled to face her, his eyes flashing. "Chill _out_? You want me to 'chill out'? I ain't gonna chill out till we get through this stupid door so we can find the Dark Magician and get Yuge outta wherever the heck he is!" His brown eyes snapped with frustrated fury. Beneath the anger, though, Serenity could see something that scared her even more- a terrified helplessness.

"Get ahold of yourself!" Tristan said, his voice sounding as if he too were close to losing control. Beside him, Kuriboh squeaked in terror at the loud argument that had all of the sudden disrupted the quiet of the chamber.

"Why don't _you_ get ahold of _your_self?" Joey growled, turning his back on his friend.

"I _have_ control, thank you very much, Joey. Why don't you-"

"Quiet!" Serenity shouted. Her voice, normally timid and shy, echoed off of the walls, rolling through the chamber. Tristan and Joey snapped their mouths shut and turned to her, disbelief in both their faces. Serenity cleared her throat. Her olive eyes widened as she realized just how loudly she had screamed. _Never knew I could sound that... well, scary._

"Don't you two _get_ it? Yugi needs us, and fighting about it isn't going to help! Now, do either of you know the answer to the riddle or not?"

"Of course!"

This time, the entire group turned to Yami. The spirit of the Pharaoh was deep in thought, his red-violet eyes flaring with the heat of his concentration.

"The center of all, and the empire's border..." he murmured. "The empire... the empire... if we're really in _my_ mind, then the empire must be referring to something that was around in _my_ time..."

"The empire has to be the Egyptian empire, then," volunteered Joey, sounding extremely thoughtful. "That's the only empire that'd make sense in this riddle if it's talking about where _you_ used to live."

"So, it's something to do with Egypt," murmured Téa. "And it's life-giving in hot times..."

"...And life-ending when it rains," finished Serenity. She narrowed her eyes. "That doesn't make that much sense to me..." Her mind felt as if it were moving in a fog. She shut her eyes tightly in concentration, but the thoughts just wouldn't straighten themselves out.

_Come_ on! she silently willed her mind. _Think! Yugi needs you to solve this right away!_

"Though backwards it moves, move us forward it does..." Tristan murmured, narrowing his eyes. He broke off and looked up at the group. "That's the part that doesn't make any sense to me."

"None of the clues seem to be fitting together right..." Téa said in desperation.

Serenity's mouth twitched, as if she were about to say something. Suddenly she gasped, olive eyes widening. "Of course!" she whispered to herself.

"If you have an idea, share it," Yami said tersely, shooting a glance at Serenity.

Serenity could have kicked herself. _Nice one, genius. Get a brainstorm and keep it to yourself._ "When it's really, really hot..." she began lamely. "I mean... I thought I knew what I was trying to say."

_Come on! Yugi doesn't have the time for you to stammer like this. Just calm down your thoughts and say it._ Serenity took a deep breath. "When the sun is the hottest, the thing that people want the most is water."

Téa gasped suddenly, blue eyes sparkling with an idea. "And when it rains, the source of water can flood, which can bring death."

Joey rubbed his forehead. "So the answer is some random river?"

"Not random, Joey," came Yami's voice. His red-violet eyes flashed as he considered the remaining words in the riddle. "The center of all and the empire's border... it's speaking of the river that divided Egypt into two kingdoms, Upper and Lower Egypt. It _was_ the center of the Empire... the Nile River."

With a sudden, grating sound, the heavy door began to shudder. The gold flared in the crimson torchlight, and the ground slowly began to shake. Serenity gazed, awestricken, at the shimmering archway as the gold flashed dimly, once, twice, and then a third time. A loud clang sounded through the soulroom, sounding as if a chorus of churchbells had all been struck at once, and ever so slowly, the door began to swing outward, its hinges creaking as it completed its deliberate journey.

Finally, as the ringing sound faded from the chamber, the faint echoes still chorusing through the air, the door ground to a halt, leaving the way clear to a dank, dim passageway that could have stretched a few feet in front of them or miles and miles away, for all that Serenity could see of it.

"All right!" Joey cheered, pumping his fist in the air and doing a victory dance that he made up on the spot. "One more challenge down!"

Serenity couldn't help herself; a grin spread across her face as the group's obvious relief revealed itself in sighs, smiles, and high-fives. Her smile faded, however, as her eyes flicked to Yami. The spirit was standing, motionless, in front of the tunnel, his eyes focused intently on the darkness ahead.

Serenity blinked and then opened her mouth. "Yami? Is... is something wrong?" she ventured, coming forward and narrowing her own eyes to peer down the hall.

Yami didn't change his expression or his tone of voice as he replied, his gaze still fixed on the tunnel. "Yes, something is wrong. We still have no idea how long finding the Dark Magician will take, and we have no idea how much longer Yugi can hold out. If you are all through celebrating, might we consider continuing?"

Serenity felt as if she had been slapped across the face. _Of course!_ she silently berated herself. _How stupid can I get?_ "He's right, guys," she said softly. She winced; of course, now her voice would have to start shaking.

"Well, I'm ready when you are," said Joey, sounding slightly put out. He stepped forward to move just ahead of Yami; the spirit looked at him sharply, eyes clearly showing his annoyance. Joey didn't look back at him, but he opened his mouth to speak again. "And just so ya know, Yami, the fact that we're happy about gettin' further along doesn't mean we're not worried about Yuge. You're not the only one who's afraid for him, ya know—keeping up morale doesn't mean we've forgotten the true objective here. Might want to remember that." Without another word, Joey stalked forward, vanishing into the blackness ahead.

Serenity swallowed and had to remind herself to blink. _I've _never _heard him speak like that before..._ never. She shook her head; her brother had sounded much older than his years. "Joey, wait! Don't go in there alone!" Too late to stop him, she charged after him, only dimly aware of the flying furball at her shoulder. Behind her, she could hear Tristan's long strides, Téa's feet, barely making a noise on the stone, and the quiet click of Yami's shoes as the spirit silently trailed the pack.

For a long time, they moved in silence. Serenity, after groping about in the darkness, managed to find her brother's shoulder, and clung to him as they walked steadily forward. Behind her, Tristan had his own hand on her shoulder, and she could only assume Téa and Yami were doing the same. _I hope so, anyway,_ she thought quietly. _If we get separated in here, there's no way we're going to reunite easily. We don't even know how wide this place is, if there's different paths that we're taking—_she stopped her thoughts there. Too much more along that vein, and she'd find herself panicking again.

The only sound as they moved forward was that of their hushed breathing and the tentative footsteps on the stone. The tension in the air was almost tangible; Serenity found herself wishing for someone to say something, anything, just to break the stony silence.

Finally, after nearly fifteen minutes of oppressive stillness, Yami's voice emanated from the darkness somewhere behind her. "Joey?"

"Yeah?" Her brother's voice, in direct contrast to how it had sounded before, was now unusually subdued and quiet.

"I understand what you said, and I'd like to offer my apologies."

"No sweat." Joey didn't sound triumphant at having won that particular battle of wills; on the contrary, he sounded rather ashamed of himself. "I get where you were comin' from, too. Let's just say we're square."

"Square, then." Though she couldn't be sure, Serenity could almost hear a smile in the spirit's voice. "Now that our pointless argument is forgotten—how long do you think we've been walking this path?"

"Hard to say." Tristan sounded as if he, too, had been wondering about that. "For all I can tell, we might not have moved at all. I can't see a thing."

"Guys?" Téa's voice was almost a squeak. "I... I just thought of something. What if there _is_ no way out of here? If we just... just keep walking..." she swallowed audibly, fighting to keep back her panic. Serenity knew that's what she was doing, as she herself was doing the exact same thing.

A loud squeal from the darkness sounded almost in Serenity's ear, making her jump and clutch her brother's shoulder tightly. After a tense moment, however, she relaxed. _Just Kuriboh._

"Guys, I think it wants to tell us something," Tristan said unnecessarily. That was all too obvious; the furball was darting around their heads, voicing whatever it wanted to say in its high-pitched trill. Serenity felt a whisper of fur in front of her face as it passed her, bobbing about in the darkness.

"The question is, though, can anyone understand what it wants to tell us?" Yami said quietly from the back of the line.

Serenity found herself thinking of Tristan. Despite how completely unexpected it was, it was true that so far he'd had the best luck deciphering the Kuriboh's squealing into actual human words. "Tristan?" she ventured softly.

Tristan sighed. "I'll try, but I don't speak Kuriboh." If he had sounded embarrassed before when understanding the creature, that was nothing compared to his voice now—or maybe, Serenity reflected, it was because without their sense of sight, it was possible to hear subtle things that would have been missed before.

Kuriboh chattered loudly, its little "voice" sounding almost stifled in the thick, oppressive darkness. It "spoke" for nearly a minute; when it had finished, there was a long silence. Finally, Tristan spoke.

"I know this is gonna sound crazy..." he began. "But for some reason... it just sounded like it was saying it knew where we were going."

Kuriboh burst into a series to trills that sounded, if anything, triumphant. Serenity felt a hopeful smile spreading across her face.

"Well." Yami sounded hopeful as well, for the first time in—in—Serenity wasn't sure _how_ long. _How long have we been in here, anyway?_ "If that's what it said—and it sounds as if you're right, Tristan—then we'd best begin to let it lead the way."

"I've got no problem with that," said Joey, sounding relieved. "It's not like I knew where I was goin' anyway."

With Kuriboh in the lead, their pace increased, first fractionally, and then more and more until they were nearly running. Serenity had no objection—the faster they got out of this tunnel, the closer they were to finding the Dark Magician—and helping Yugi.

When the first bits and snippets of light began to make themselves known in the tunnel, Serenity could have cried in relief. Being in the dark for so long had brought back painful memories of her life before the surgeries... the surgeries that Yugi had paid for, giving up hi prize money for a girl he'd never met. She bit her lip. _We're going to get there in time. We have to._

Slowly, the pitch darkness began to lift. Serenity caught sight of her brother's dim outline, and if she turned her head, she could see silhouettes of the others, in a single-file line. As the intense blackness lightened gradually, Serenity could see that the hall they were in was only four feet wide or so, and she couldn't see any tunnels branching off. _So we weren't in danger of getting lost, at least..._

"Hey! I can see the exit!" Joey sounded more excited then he had in a long time, even more so than he had after solving the riddle. "We're almost there!"

As if on cue, the entire group broke into a dead run. The exit of the tunnel loomed nearer and nearer, until finally, with a gasp of relief, they broke from the narrow passage into a torch-lit chamber.

"Finally..." gasped Téa in relief. She wiped quickly at her eyes, blinking rapidly, and smiled. "That place freaked me out so badly..."

"Same. I couldn't—Yami?" Serenity's eyes flickered to the spirit of the Pharaoh, who was gazing silently at a tile on the floor in front of them. "Yami, what's the matter?"

Yami turned, a smile spreading on his proud face. "We've done it," he whispered. "We've found him." He turned back, took a step forward, touching his boot to the tile, and then stepped back as a purple blast of light shot skyward, creating a pulsing violet column of energy.

Serenity's eyes widened, and her heart began to pound. She twisted her hands nervously in front of her. She found herself whispering a prayer. _Please, let this work, please let us have found a way to help, please let it work..._

The column hummed and crackled with pure energy as lightning danced across the purple surface. Suddenly, with a light burst so powerful Serenity had to shield her eyes, the column vanished.

The Dark Magician stood in front of them.

Serenity's mouth opened slightly. _I can't believe... we've finally found him!_ She stared at the tall mage, who looked coolly back at her, his indigo eyes unreadable. His armor gleamed violet, flashing as he shifted his weight slightly. The staff in his hand shone turquoise, the orb on the end glimmering with an inner light. His purple hair just reached his chin, and his indigo cape fell to the ground, moving slightly in a nonexistent wind.

Finally, Téa broke the silence. "Wow..." she breathed.

The Dark Magician's eyes flickered from face to face, halting when they reached the face of the Pharaoh. Slowly, he knelt, bowing his head before the spirit. Even kneeling, he was as tall as Yami.

Yami's red-violet eyes flashed. Serenity caught her breath. He, too, suddenly looked more imposing that she had ever seen him before, his head high, his shoulders back and his fists at his sides. It was as if, in this room with the creature he had once surpassed in power in his life long ago, the memory of that strength came flooding back to him. She had no doubt, somehow, that he had once been Pharaoh.

"Dark Magician." The mage raised his head, looking at the Pharaoh. "We need to break out of the soulroom. To do this, we require your power."

The spellcaster inclined his head slightly and then rose in a whisper of robes. The orb on his staff shone, and suddenly Serenity found herself whirling through a vortex of color. "What's happening?" she managed to scream over the roar of the whirlwind around her.

"He must be teleporting us back through the traps, so we don't have to face them again!" Yami called back, his deep voice barely audible over the howling wind.

Serenity squeezed her eyes closed, biting her tongue. _We're finally coming, Yugi._

_Hold on.  
_

* * *

_Cold... pain..._

_Focus... remember..._

_But... the cold... and the pain... it hurts..._

_No! Remember! Remember!_

He could no longer move his head, whether because of the thorns, the pain, or the numbness of the cold, he wasn't certain. Not that it mattered.

_Keep going through them..._

A smile... a rose... a golden pyramid... a single card... a snowball in the back of his head...

_No... they had names... what were they..._

The pictures came, thicker and faster. A tiny golden star in the wristband of a glove... a high-heeled shoe... the clasp of hands... a flash of gold... a bucket and mop... green eyes, looking into his...

_Names..._

He couldn't think, couldn't remember. He took some comfort in the pictures... could feel that they meant something.

It would all be over soon, anyway...

* * *

"Dark Magician!" Yami's voice was a roar above the wail of the tornado. "Blast through that wall! ATTACK!"

A flash of purple light grew in the air, and Serenity shielded her eyes. _Let it work... let it work... please let it work..._

"NOW!"

A massive explosion ripped through the air, as the purple light flung itself forward, swirling in torrents of energy. It connected with the solid wall, and a shockwave tore through the room, shaking the very foundations of the stone. A thunderous crack sounded, and smoke billowed from the air. Serenity hid her eyes, coughing at the smoke...

Slowly, she raised her eyes to the wall. Her heart skipped a beat. A gaping hole had been torn in the stone. Bricks crumbled on the ground, and the thorns for several feet had been blasted back, leaving an open pathway. And—a smile spread on her face—there was a hole in Yugi's soulroom wall as well, just wide enough for a person to slip through.

"Yami! We did it!" She couldn't control her elation. _We can get through! We can bring him out!_

There was no response. She turned, and her eyes widened and filled with horror. "Yami?"

The Pharaoh was on his knees in the soulroom, clutching at his head. Pain was etched on every line of his face, and he was trembling badly.

_Oh, no... this can't happen! We need him!_ "Yami!" She ran to him, where Téa was already helping him to sit up. Joey and Tristan watched with shock on their faces, and Kuriboh looked ready to cry, its big purple eyes watery.

"I'll... I'll be fine..." Yami's voice was weak and hoarse. "Blasted at my mind... I can't... I need time... just to... to rebuild..."

_Of course... that was his mind we just blew a gaping hole in!_ Serenity bowed her head, tears leaking from her eyes. _And he must have known..._

Yami smiled weakly. "Please... I'll be all right... I have the Dark Magician... just go find Yugi for me... get him out of there..." His eyes flickered and he closed them for a brief moment. "Just... find him..."

"We will." Serenity stood, her heart pounding in her ears. "Guys, let's go!" She sprinted into the hallway, ignoring the thorns on either side. _All that matters now is finding Yugi. It's all that's important... what we came to do._ She could hear her brother, Tristan, Téa and Kuriboh behind her, but didn't stop, slipping through the other hole and into Yugi's soulroom.

She gasped. Thorns covered every possible surface, already beginning to wind around her ankles. She jerked her foot away, gazing at the blue-black, pulsing mass of plants. She wrapped her arms around herself. _It's freezing in here! What's going on?_

"Yugi!" she called out, her eyes sweeping the room. Behind her, she could hear the others doing the same thing. "Yugi! If you can hear me, say something!"

A noise sounded in the far corner of the room. She whirled, hope in her eyes. "Yugi?"

Yami Bakura smiled.

"Hello, there."

* * *

Dun dun dun... _that_ was the cliffhanger I was waiting to write...

O.O Please don't kill me...

Oh, and by the way—congrats to all who got the riddle right or mostly right... (i.e., those who said 'water' or 'river' rather than 'Nile River.') First to get it right was Nightlight5—so what would you like as your prize? Just let me know!

I'll try to update faster this time...

Ja ne,

-Mittens no Hikari


	10. Too Late

Well.

It's been a bit too long, I'd say.

Um... hi?

I'm so sorry this has taken me so long... I'm sure you don't really want to hear excuses, so I'll just say thanks a million to all of you who are still reading, and thanks another million to all those who've reviewed thus far. It means so much to me, and keeps me attempting to get this done even when my life is trying to make it otherwise.

Anywho... on with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. No, no I don't.

_Thoughts_

**Fading**

Chapter Ten: Too Late

Serenity staggered backwards, her mouth opening and closing soundlessly, as her mind spun, fighting to comprehend the sudden appearance of one of the last people she'd ever expected to see. Behind her, she could hear Tristan and Joey draw in their breath sharply, almost in unison, and Téa's soft, clipped gasp, as if she'd started to say something aloud and choked off the words. _This... this can't..._

Yami Bakura smiled.

The expression, far from softening his sharp, sinister features, only deepened the lines in his narrow, pale face and made him look like a snake charmer, weaving a hypnotic spell and smiling coldly all the while. The only difference was, looking at him, one instinctively got the feeling that he was one of the few such people who was more dangerous than any cobra could be.

"It's taken you long enough."

Serenity winced without intending it. Not only was the low voice one of the most ominous sounds she could imagine, but also the words themselves sent the flood of guilt stabbing through her mind afresh. _It has... it's taken us way too long... if something's happened to him..._ she swallowed hard as panic rose in her throat.

"Where. Is. He?" Joey's voice was shaking with barely repressed rage as he took a step forward, unable to hold himself back. He was clenching his fists so hard that they trembled at his sides.

"You'll have to be more specific," the pale-haired spirit said distractedly, his entire countenance changing from wickedly triumphant to bored in a split second. He studied a blue-black tendril of the plant curled around his body, turning his hand back and forth as he watched the pulsing vine, apparently absorbed in its twitching movements.

Joey was so furious he could barely get the words out through his tightly gritted teeth. "Where. Is. Yugi?" His voice rose with each word until he was shouting, his dark eyes full of a violent fire that turned them almost scarlet. "Where is he, you cowardly, rotten, sneaky, mummified excuse for a—"

"What he means is, where the heck is our friend?" Téa interrupted, before Joey lost control completely. However, she didn't look completely in control herself—her blue eyes were full of angry tears, and she looked on the verge of either bursting into tears or flinging herself at the spirit and pounding him into the floor. Serenity found herself hoping for the second one—it would give her an excuse to join in.

Yami Bakura's dark eyes came up to meet Serenity's again. She felt a jolt run through her as the malicious stare seemed to bore through her. Her heart twisted within her as she waited, not daring to breathe, for his reply.

"You mean little Yugi Moto, don't you?" He turned his head to the side and brought his hand up to his face, stroking the barbed vine that curled around his colorless hair almost like a crown of sorts. His long, pale fingers navigated among the thorns with careless grace, and a small smile spread across his face again. "He is... unable to be here at the moment."

Serenity felt her eyes widen, and could almost feel the icy fingers of fear beginning to creep down her spine. She opened her mouth to ask something, anything—but the spirit wasn't quite finished.

"H regrets very much that he couldn't be here to welcome you to his soul room... especially after the drastic change in scenery it has undergone recently." Yami Bakura's sharp gaze slid to meet the collective stares of the five. "Unfortunately... he's a bit... tangled up at the moment."

"Where _is_ he!" Tristan's shout betrayed the fact that he, too, was beginning to lose hold of his emotion. Kuriboh's trill echoed his shout as the tiny Duel Monster left the relative safety of Tristan's coat to position itself in the front of the pack, its round purple eyes narrowed almost to slits as it made known its fury in its vocabulary of chirps, squeaks, and long, drawn-out squeals.

Yami Bakura made a sound that managed to be both amused and disgusted at once. "Honestly. If you expect me to answer your ridiculous queries, that is one thing. To expect me to answer a chittering ball of fluff, however, is quite another. Are you laboring under the impression that I have no self-respect?"

Serenity laid a restraining hand on her brother's arm as Joey, growling under his breath, started to take a step forward, his fists coming up as he moved. "Joey," she hissed. "That isn't going to help."

Joey yanked his arm out of his little sister's grip sharply; Serenity took a step backwards, taken aback at how roughly he had shaken her off. _I suppose it's understandable, though,_ she admitted to herself, feeling her own eyes narrow to slits of anger as she looked back at the spirit standing, supremely in control, before them.

Yami Bakura finally let out a long-suffering sigh, sweeping his white hair from his face. A slight smile quirked up the corners of his mouth. "Well, you certainly give up easily," he said, waving an unconcerned hand through the air. "If you must see your little friend, I suppose I can take the time to show him to you."

Turning, the ancient spirit reached out with one long, pale finger, stroking a nearby thorned vine with an almost tender gesture. The vine quivered under his touch and withdrew slightly, coiling tighter into itself and leaving a small open space behind.

Suddenly, as if in a chain reaction, vine after vine began to slide backwards, effortlessly untangling the thick knots of thorns and leaving a small, clear path. Yami Bakura stepped gracefully between two long coils that were still in the process of withdrawing. Without turning to see if they were following, he said, "Follow me."

Serenity was the first to step forward. Her knees were trembling, her mouth suddenly as dry as if she'd run a mile in blistering sunlight. _Come on. Just put one foot in front of the other... Yugi needs you to._ Behind her, she could feel the familiar presence of her older brother and could only assume Téa, Tristan and Kuriboh were following suit. But even knowing they were behind her was no comfort now.

Serenity danced nervously around a pulsing vine that still lay, twitching, in her path, alternating keeping her eyes on the dark monstrosity and watching the spirit of Bakura's Millennium Ring, making sure she didn't let him out of her sight.

Step. Step. Step. She could hear her own heart pounding in her ears. _Okay. Okay. Yugi will be all right. He'll be alive. We can get him out of this. Just follow the spirit. Follow the spirit. Follow—_

Serenity stopped short, horror flooding into her heart and tears into her eyes as the last thing she wanted to see met her eyes. _No... it... it can't be..._

"No..." she whispered, refusing to believe it. "No."

* * *

That was strange.

A whisper of air... there hadn't been any of that in... in...

He couldn't finish the thought. It had been long. That was all that was important.

And even that didn't matter much anymore.

The pictures had lost their color, their vivacity, now. They still came... they were all that came. Words were too hard. But even those pictures were gray and fuzzy around the edges... he could still tell what they were, though.

There was a key... a pair of shackles... and a hand opened them... he was floating...

A wall... with a hole in it... and he ducked through and he was in a garden... there were flowers... but they were gray and he couldn't tell if they were living or not...

And then there was a ship, and little cards in the sea... it was raining.

Then there was a tower... and then a glove... and...

And...

Something twisted, far off. It hurt, but he didn't care any longer.

Except...

The pictures were gone...

And there was nothing at all...

* * *

Serenity took a frantic step backward, running into her brother, the same terrified refrain pounding through her head like a bass drum. _No. No. No._

"Serenity?" Joey had his hands on her shoulders. "Sis, what's wrong?"

She couldn't manage to make herself speak. She swallowed desperately, but nothing came out.

Joey pushed past her, gently nudging her behind him, and stepped around the corner she had come from. In seconds, he, too, had backpedaled, his face ashen and his dark eyes wide and filled with profound horror.

"Joey?" Tristan said desperately. "Joey, man, what—"

"He isn't dead, if that's what you're frightened of." Yami Bakura seemed to suddenly materialize beside the group, fading into sight from a tangle of vines. The Darkworld Thorns all around them parted, revealing—

Serenity dropped to her knees without realizing she had done so, her mind numb. They had found Yugi... but from what she could see... too late.

For the first time since her surgery, she wished she couldn't see.

* * *

Joey knelt beside his sister, pulling her to her feet. Serenity moved with him in a daze, seeming not even to realize anyone was helping her up. Behind him, he could hear Téa's sudden cry and Tristan's sharp gasp. He gritted his teeth, trying hard to prevent the scream of pain that was fighting to claw its way out of his chest.

_Yuge... we're too late..._ Joey took a step forward. If there was still a chance—

Yami Bakura stepped smoothly into his path. "I said you could see him, mortal. No more."

"Let me _over_ there!" Joey shouted, his voice cracking. "Let me by!"

Yami Bakura merely smiled, as cruel an expression as he'd ever seen. "I think not. However, you are free to look all you like."

_Free to look. Just look._

Look at the small, crumpled body lying limp on the stones, thorns twined around the limbs and twisted deep into the flesh. Look at the marble-white face of his best friend. Look at the closed eyes, the bloody scrapes and gashes.

Look.

* * *

Yami Bakura spread his arms in a sardonic, mocking gesture of goodwill. "Well, now you have gotten what you have wanted from me. You have seen your friend—alive—and that is all you asked me for."

"Let him _go_!" Téa screamed at the spirit through her tears. Tristan was holding her back, preventing the distraught girl from flinging herself at the white-haired demon standing over the body of their friend.

The spirit shook his head, his smile becoming darker. "No, I don't think I will."

"How dare you?" Joey shouted, his voice cracking once again. His arms were still wrapped securely around his little sister, but despite the protective posture, Serenity could feel her brother shaking.

However, she was barely aware of the fact.

_Yugi. Yugi. He's dying. He's gone. We're too late._ Pain swirled through her soul until she wanted to scream with the agony. _Yugi, please open your eyes. Say something. Move... just let me see you're breathing... please..._

There was no answer to Serenity's silent plea. Despair engulfed her soul, like the darkness of night swallowing a sunset. She bit her lip hard, a strangled sound escaping her throat as she tried to call out to him. No words came from her mouth; she simply couldn't manage it past the knot in her throat.

For what seemed like forever, Serenity stood there, staring at they boy she loved, lying as if dead on a cold stone floor, blue-black barbs curled around his thin, still form. Slowly, a single thought began to form in her mind. She stood there and let it come, and come it did, slowly, bubbling up through the numb haze of pain in her mind.

_I have to get to him._

Serenity almost could have laughed at the simplicity of the single thought, had the torrent of pain in her mind not prevented it.

_I will get to him._

_Now._

_

* * *

_

"Seren--!" Joey's shout was cut short as his sister wrenched from his grip, flying forward in a mad dash toward Yugi's prison of thorns.

"Serenity!" The cry was echoed by all three; even Kuriboh let out a squeal.

With a scream of rage, Serenity threw herself at the white-haired spirit standing in front of the body.

Whatever Yami Bakura had been expecting, this was not it. He staggered, thrown off balance by Serenity's sudden attack. Serenity got in a hard blow on his face, sending him stumbling backwards.

Joey took a step forward; a wall of thorns prevented him from going any further. He could only stand, helpless, behind the barrier as his sister grappled with the furious spirit. "SERENITY!" he screamed, trying in vain to break through the thorns.

Serenity was fighting like a thing possessed, her gray-green eyes narrowed in pure, animal rage. She let out a scream of nothing but fury as she pounded her fists into the spirit, getting it whatever blows she could.

Whatever advantage she'd had in surprise, however, quickly became worthless as the spirit recovered his footing. He was ready, now—and more than ready, he was darkly furious. In one swift movement, he threw Serenity off; she hit the ground hard, trembling in rage and agony as tears streamed down her face. She did not take her blazing, hate-filled stare from the spirit's dark eyes.

"You, girl... you will pay for what you have done." Gone was the almost amiable cruelty of before; gone was any trace of amusement on the spirit's ruthless face. He raised his hands, a ball of blood-red electricity sparking from his fingers.

Serenity barely cared. Her breath came in quick, harsh sobs as she huddled against the wall. Over the roar of the power crackling before her, she could faintly hear her brother's cry of anguish, Téa's scream, Kuriboh's squeals of terror. As the light grew to an intensity beyond what she could stand to look at, she shut her eyes, preparing to feel it hit—

And then there was silence. Serenity dared to open her eyes...

Only to see Yami Bakura drop like a stone to the floor.

Bakura stood, victorious, behind him.

* * *

Almost there, now—I think this one should just have one more chapter before I've completed it.

And I _will_ complete it, so don't worry—I'll have time, especially as I just got out of school today!

Let me know what you thought—drop me a review if you can! Thanks for reading!

Until next update,

Mittens no Hikari


	11. Breaking the Chains

Wow... it's so hard to believe that this is almost over.

I'm fairly certain that this is going to be the final chapter, but we'll see what happens, won't we?

Thanks so much to everyone who's read this story, whether you've reviewed or not—and a thousand thanks again to those who _have_ reviewed. The kind words and encouragement mean so much.

At any rate...

Disclaimer: It wasn't mine when I started out. It's not mine now. It's probably never going to be mine. Get it? Got it? Good:-)

_Thoughts_

_

* * *

_

**Fading**

Chapter Eleven: Breaking the Chains

Serenity's eyes grew huge and she felt her mouth drop open in shock as her hazy mind struggled to comprehend the events she had just seen. Dimly, she managed to squeak out one weak question: "How...?"

Bakura seemed not to hear her. He glanced down at the motionless spirit in front of him with a look of loathing and disgust that seemed alien to his gentle face. He nudged the body hard with the toe of his shoe, apparently checking to ensure that his darker half truly was unconscious, and smiled humorlessly. "I'm not as weak—_or_ as clueless—as you think, Dark One," he said, a note of triumph making its way into the relief and hatred that mingled in his voice already.

Serenity, meanwhile, had been struggling to free her vocal cords from the grip of her utter disbelief. Finally, she shook her head hard, shutting her mouth, and found her voice again. "Bakura? How... how in the name of..."

Bakura glanced up, surprise in his dark eyes. "Oh... Serenity. I'm sorry, I forgot you were there." He stepped over the prone body of his yami and offered her a hand. Serenity took it mechanically, accepting his help as he pulled her to her feet and steadied her.

"Serenity!" Joey was suddenly behind her, his hands on her shoulders, pulling her roughly into a hug. She could feel her brother shaking slightly, and she felt a pang of guilt for terrifying him so much.

Serenity pulled away, turning to meet her brother's eyes. "I'm sorry, Joey," she said. "I had to. You know I did."

Joey's dark eyes narrowed. "All I know is, you almost got yourself _killed_, Serenity."

Serenity winced. Her brother was not happy. Chancing another glance at him, she saw his eyes soften slightly.

"But... we'll talk about that later, won't we." It wasn't a question, but Serenity let out a sigh of relief that at least he was leaving it for a better time.

"Later," she echoed, nodding up at her older brother. Joey gave her a smile and mussed her chestnut hair quickly before turning his attention to Bakura, who was waiting politely for the brother-sister reunion to be finished. His dark eyes grew quickly serious, and his smile faded.

"There's no time to explain now," Bakura said, anticipating the other's questions. He distractedly brushed a long lock of pale hair from his face; for the first time, Serenity noticed that he looked weary and drained, his face almost as white as his hair. "Without my yami to keep the thorns under control—"

Serenity felt a touch on her shoulder. Biting back a scream, she turned her head slowly, praying she wouldn't see what her imagination was creating there.

Her eyes widened and she slapped violently at the dark vine that was slyly creeping up her back and twining around her shoulder; it recoiled at the touch, retreating—but not far.

Panic shot through Serenity's veins as the first realization seized her brain in its icy fingers, sending a chill down her spine: _These thorns have nothing to stop them now._

Unable to prevent a strangled sound of terror escaping her throat, Serenity backpedaled, putting as much distance between herself and the vine, which had once again begun to creep forward slowly, weaving back and forth like a snake, tasting the air in a search for its prey.

"Joey? Serenity? What's—UGH!" Téa's frantic entreaties to her two friends were quelled suddenly as one of the lithe, sinuous vines slid smoothly around her ankle and began to twist itself upward.

"Hold still!" Tristan, right behind her, flung himself onto the ground beside Téa as she strained to free herself from the monster's grip. Seizing the pulsing vine in both hands, he wrenched it in two different directions and snapped the thing in two. Téa let out a cry of relief as the vine fell, lifeless, from her leg.

Tristan staggered to his feet. His hands were bleeding freely, but he didn't even appear to notice. His grey eyes flashed in fear as he took an involuntary step backward, attempting to stay as far away from the progression of the masses of vines as possible.

"What are we going to do?" Téa whispered, flinching backward from another limb's touch and squeezing her eyes shut with a whispered prayer as the thing tentatively began to curl around her wrist.

Serenity swallowed hard. Her heart was pounding uncontrollably in her chest, and her vision winked in and out; black spots threatened to cover her sight completely. She had to keep reminding herself to draw breath. _Okay... calm down, Serenity... keep it together... now would be a_ really _bad time to faint..._ Drawing in a long, deep breath meant to calm her hammering heart, she choked halfway through. _Oh no!_ "Yugi!" she cried, plunging into the mass of brambles that had already begun to ensnare the unconscious form lying lifeless on the chamber floor.

Thorns pierced her arms and hands, biting deep into her skin and drawing a whimper from her throat. The fire of pain raced up her veins, making her begin to shake as she fought to tear away the barbed thorns and release the boy she loved.

Serenity's eyes narrowed as she threw her head back, pulling with all her might. "Let—him—go—" she managed through gritted teeth. Suddenly, something gave under her furious assault—and then she flew backwards, colliding with her brother, who lunged and caught her before she hit the ground hard.

Serenity barely gave the mass of quivering indigo thorns in her hands a second glance. Hurling it away, she struggled out of her brother's grip, staggered sideways, and fell, her knees buckling, unable to support her weight.

She crawled toward Yugi, covering the distance quickly. When she finally reached him, she had to bite her tongue to keep from bursting into tears. As it was, even that seemed about to fail her; her vision swam in and out, distorted by the saltwater filling her eyes.

"Yugi..." With trembling fingers she reached out and gently touched his forehead with her bloody hand. _Please, no..._ Her face crumpled. "He... he's cold..." she managed to choke out.

_Yugi..._ The familiar face was barely recognizable, weary and lined as it was with pain. His skin was so pallid he reminded her of a marble statue—but no sculptor would create something like this, a body so broken and battered by dozens upon dozens of slashes and cuts.

Behind her, she heard Téa's sob of pain, and a quiet curse from her brother about what he was going to do to the spirit of the ring—no less threatening for the tears in his voice as he said it.

Serenity barely noticed. Her mind was ringing with one single thought: _Yugi's dead. I failed him. I let him die. I wasn't able to help in time. He's gone. I'll never see him again._ Dazedly she slid her hands beneath his shoulders and pulled him into her lap, holding him against her in a desperate embrace. He was a deadweight in her arms.

But...

Had she...

Could he have...

Serenity held perfectly still, not even daring to breathe. She had thought she'd felt...

Yes! There it was again—the almost-imperceptible rise and fall of his chest beneath her arms. Yugi was still breathing.

"Guys!" She whirled, hope shining anew in her tearstained face. "Yugi's still alive! He's still breathing!"

The looks on her friends' faces, however, immediately extinguished any joy she had found in this revelation.

"He may be alive, Serenity," said Bakura, his soft voice shaking. "But... we've no way out of here."

"And these thorns—" grunted Tristan as he grappled with a particularly vicious branch of the Darkworld plant. He had no breath to finish the statement.

He didn't need to. Serenity's entire body went cold suddenly, as if she'd been plunged into a vat of ice water heart-first.

Kuriboh's frantic squeal only served to drive home what Serenity's mind was screaming couldn't be true.

They were trapped.

* * *

"Doctor! Come quickly!" 

The nurse's scream resonated through the hallways of the hospital. In the waiting room, Dana sat up with a jerk, her eyes flashing.

Pushing herself clumsily to her feet and ignoring the throbbing that came with the cramps of sitting in a plastic chair for far too long, Dana darted through the swinging doors and down the hall to the room where Yugi had been.

Her eyes widened and she staggered back a step. "What—" she began to ask in horror.

The doctor whirled, his own face pale, and pointed at her. "Get her out of here," he snapped, his voice tight and muffled by his surgical mask.

As two nurses took Dana by the arms and began to pull her firmly backwards, despite how hard she was struggling on the outside, her mind was racing infinitely faster, trying to explain away what she had just seen—

Yugi, pale and bleeding from a thousand wounds—

And the rest of her friends, unconscious in a heap beside him.

* * *

"We have to _do_ something!" Téa's shout ended in a scream as a vine snaked around her neck. Clawing at it, she managed to free herself, only to find another creeping around her waist. 

"We're trying!" Tristan shouted back; he had seized the nearest object to him, which happened to be one of Téa's shoes—how she'd lost it, no one had bothered to figure out—and was beating at the malicious plants with all his might.

Serenity was knelt on the ground, holding Yugi close to her. _I have to protect him,_ she kept telling herself. _Just a little longer. If I protect him just a little longer we'll find a way out. Just a—_

Suddenly, she felt herself yanked to her feet by one arm. Her shoulder wrenched and she screamed in pain as she felt thorns twist into her skin.

_"Kuri!"_ The squeal coincided with the thud of Serenity hitting the floor, as Kuriboh hurled itself at the vine and succeeded in snapping it in two. Staggering to her knees, Serenity looked wildly around her, dreading to see a vine inching toward her and praying to see Yugi still free from the horrific assault.

Joey knelt and lifted Yugi before Serenity could crawl to him. Carrying the smaller boy easily, he kicked out at a vine that had made an attempt to drag Yugi away, causing it to recoil and withdraw sulkily.

A flash of color on the floor caught Serenity's eye. _What is that?_ Crawling forward on her hands and knees, she made it to the bright mass on the floor seconds before the thorns, pulling whatever it was towards her and out of the grasping reach of the vines.

Serenity glanced down and was hit by recognition. _Yugi's dueling deck... it must have fallen out of his pocket when I got pulled away._ Clutching the cards and staggering to her feet, she appealed to Bakura, in the wild hope that he'd know a way out. "Can't these help us at all?"

Bakura glanced up, his dark eyes almost black with fear. He shook his head. "No, Serenity," he said. "This is Yugi's soul room, not ours. We don't belong and therefore have no power here."

_That's exactly what Yami said..._ Serenity felt her hopes deflate as quickly as a balloon punctured with a pin. A mindless, gnawing fear gripped her heart and mind.

_I don't want to die in here!_

Téa let out a cry as she hit the ground hard, unable to stand; thorns had locked her ankles together. Beside her, Joey was barely able to keep his own feet; with Yugi in his arms, he couldn't defend himself as fast as the thorns could attack.

Tristan went down with a loud curse, clutching a heavily bleeding arm to his chest. Bakura had dragged the unconscious spirit of the Ring out of the thorns' grip by his mop of white hair, but it looked as if the effort would do him no good. The thorns were advancing too quickly.

Serenity screamed in pain as something jerked her head back; the thorns had, unnoticed, entwined themselves in her thick chestnut hair and were pulling with all their might.

"Serenity!" The cry came from several people at once. Serenity yanked her head forward, trying to break free, but the thorns continued their relentless assault. Her neck muscles burned as she fought their grip.

Her mind was aflame with terror. _I don't want to die here! I don't want to die somewhere I don't belong! I don't—_

Wait.

_Somewhere I don't belong?_

What was it Yugi had said to her one afternoon when he'd walked her home from school? She'd been teasing him, feigning indignation that he was going to be gone that weekend. She had said pettishly, flipping her hair and turning her face away, "I thought you always wanted me with you, Yugi."

And he had touched her arm, and when she'd turned and looked into those violet eyes, he'd smiled and said, "You _are_ always with me, Serenity. You're a part of my soul. You belong there."

_Could it be...?_

Serenity glanced at the cards clutched in her hand.

She had nothing to lose.

Holding the first one she could grab high above her head, she waited.

"Serenity, I told you!" Bakura shouted, stomping frantically on the vines. "You cannot summon—"

His words were cut off by a brilliant flash of golden light from the card in Serenity's trembling hand. The beam sliced through the room, casting the vines in shadow, and with another iridescent burst, a glowing form arose slowly, forming itself as Serenity watched, unable to form words.

With a thump, what she had summoned leapt forth and hit the floor, landing on one knee, hand on a familiar silver-bladed longsword. Serenity's heart gave a strange jerk as the Celtic Guardian rose to his feet, surveying the scene with unreadable eyes.

"How did you—" Bakura's words ended in shocked silence as the Celtic Guardian immediately began to hew away the thick vines, slashing them to ribbons.

Serenity could have cried for joy. Standing, free of the vine in her hair, she smiled triumphantly at her friends. "You were wrong, Bakura," she said. "This isn't our soul room, true—but that doesn't mean we don't belong here. Yugi cares for each of us—we're _all_ a part of his soul, and that means we do have a place here."

Bakura looked stunned; Joey, however, had already reached into his pocket for his own deck. "I summon you, Alligator Sword!" he called out as the reptile came forth and threw itself into the fight.

"Dancing Faerie!" Téa's voice was almost drowned out by Tristan's. "Cyber Commander!"

Bakura hesitated. Slowly he drew out a card and held it up. "Dark Assailant..." he whispered tentatively. As his monster shot forth and joined the fray, his dark eyes shone with a peculiar mix of astonishment and gratitude.

Serenity's smile threatened to overwhelm her face. _We can fight our way out!_

Suddenly, her smile vanished as if it had never been.

The reinforcements weren't nearly enough. A veritable tidal wave of thorns swarmed forth, the entire room a pulsing mass of vines. Tristan's Cyber Commander took a hard blow to his back and vanished in a haze of glitter; only seconds later, the Dark Assailant and the Dancing Faerie had suffered the same fate.

_It's not enough,_ realized Serenity with horror. _We'll lose monsters, and lose monsters, and the thorns will just keep coming._

Her brother's mouth was tight; she could see the fear and the growing suspicion of hopelessness on his face. Desperately she began searching through the cards, looking for something, anything, there _had_ to be something...

Her heart skipped a beat.

Dropping the other cards and letting them fall like dead autumn leaves, Serenity raised the card above her head, squeezed her eyes closed, and thought a prayer.

_Please work._

"Burning Land!"

Almost immediately flames spewed forth from the card; Serenity screamed as they seared her hands and let the card fall. The fire spread almost too fast to see from vine to vine. The plants began to emit high-pitched screams as they withered away in the blazing inferno.

Serenity watched, entranced, as the fire danced higher and higher, obliterating every trace of the Darkworld Thorns.

"Serenity!" She jerked out of her reverie to see Bakura's panicked face. "We have to put out the fire, or it will destroy Yugi's soul room!"

Before Serenity could even register the horror these words created in her heart, another voice hit her ears—one that made her draw in her breath sharply.

"Despell!"

There was a burst of pale green light—and the flames vanished as if they had never been, leaving behind no traces but the crumbled ashes of the Darkworld Thorns on the floor.

A trembling Yami stood in the doorway, supporting himself on one wall. He looked pale and sick—but the look in his eyes, as he took in first the battered defenders and then the lifeless form of Yugi, was far worse than any physically ill appearance.

"Yugi..." the proud spirit pushed himself upright and staggered to Joey; behind him, Tristan hovered close, ready to catch Yami should he fall.

"S'all right, man," Joey said softly. "He's alive. Just take care of him, now."

Yami motioned to a corner of the room; Serenity's eyes followed his gesture to see a bed.

"Put him there," Yami rasped. "I will watch over him until he begins to heal."

Joey nodded and gently laid his friend down. Yugi's pale face twitched, but he did not awaken.

"Down the hall, into the light," Yami said, his voice slightly stronger now. "You've been gone far too long as it is. Take care of Yugi's physical self, and I will help heal his mind."

Téa nodded. "We will, Yami," she said softly. "None of us are taking any chances—not after we almost lost him like this."

Yami paused and looked them all over. "Look after yourselves, too," he instructed. "This has left you weaker than you know."

Serenity was about to protest, when she realized suddenly just how much absolutely every inch of her hurt.

"I... I'm sorry..." As one, everyone turned to glance in confusion at Bakura. He wouldn't meet their gazes. "I tried to control the Spirit... I just..."

"You came when we needed you the most," Joey interrupted, shooting a look at his sister. "Speaking of which, how _did_ you manage it?"

Bakura looked up and managed a weak smile. "I felt him leave the Ring... he doesn't think I notice, but I've become adept at feeling the presence of his spirit. I grabbed on when he left and—well, I suppose you could say I rather hitchhiked, only he wasn't aware."

Yami leveled a look at the still-unconscious spirit on the floor. "Will you take him with?"

"I must." Bakura ran a hand through his pale hair wearily; he suddenly seemed much older. "If I do not, he will be free of the Ring—free to seek out whatever host he desires." Bending, he struggled to lift the limp body; Tristan came to help him.

"We'd better go," Téa said quietly. "We need to be there to help watch over Yugi."

Joey nodded. "C'mon. Let's beat it." Pausing at the door, he glanced back. "Thank you, Yami, Kuriboh..."

Kuriboh did not reply, having curled up beside its sleeping master and fallen asleep itself.

"No, Joey... thank you," Yami answered. His eyes flashed. "Take care of him."

"If you do," Joey retorted. He grinned and saluted before following the rest outside.

Serenity lingered. She felt exhausted, as if every drop of energy in her had been suctioned out and replaced with lead. Slowly she touched Yugi's face and, quickly leaning over, kissed his forehead.

"I'll see you on the other side, Yugi."

With that she ran, and turning the corner, was overwhelmed by a wave of brilliant light...

* * *

"We need a reading on that, stat! And bring me—" 

The doctor's monologue was cut short by a loud yawn. The eyes of every single medical worker widened as all the unconscious teens began to sit up, rubbing at their eyes and wincing at discovery of scrapes and burns.

Joey looked up and blinked. "Uh... hey?" He flashed what he clearly thought was a winning smile.

A blonde nurse took a step forward, looking intently at Bakura. "A foreign exchange student, hmm?" she said.

Bakura only swallowed, a guilty look plastered all over his face.

"What are you all doing in here?" The doctor's shock was giving way to relief—and then, to anger at remembering none of them were supposed to be in there at all.

"We're... we're..." Bakura began nervously.

"Don't even try it," said the blonde nurse, something like laughter glittering in her eyes.

"Ssh!"

The sudden hiss came from Téa, who confronted the doctors, her hands on her hips. "Quiet! Can't you see they're sleeping?"

As one, all heads turned toward Yugi's hospital bed. Yugi lay unconscious, still pale and covered in blood, but now his heart registered an even beat and his temperature was rising slowly from the staggeringly cold level it had been. The Puzzle was around his neck—and so were Serenity's arms, as she lay, fast asleep, holding on for dear life, her face half-buried in his shoulder.

* * *

From outside the room, the woman watched, tears in her blue eyes. She turned to the man. "They did it," she whispered. "They brought him back." 

"We have our Chosen One still." The man smiled, a rare expression for him. "Did I not tell you, Ishizu, that it was not our part to play?"

"You did, Shadi." Ishizu sighed. "But he was so close to fading away completely..."

"But he did not." Shadi's eyes flashed. "He lives to fight another day."

Ishizu smiled in profound relief and turned her eyes back to the scene. She took one last look and then disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

Serenity was achy, scratched, and in considerable pain, and darn it if she didn't feel better than she'd ever felt in her life. 

Snuggling closer to Yugi, she smiled as she heard his peaceful breathing and the steady rhythm of his heart. _He's back with me,_ she thought drowsily, slipping back into sleep.

_He's back with me, and I plan to keep it that way._

_

* * *

_

Fin

* * *

Well... 

It's over...

And I had a blast.

I have to thank every single one of those who read this and reviewed it. It's for you that I kept it going despite everything that seemed to go wrong—it's your encouragement that meant everything to me on this one.

So...

Thank you to DJ Rodriguez, Dagger Maxwell, starfire20042002, Jill, Pooka228, Dragon and Sword Master, KrystalStarLite, Anime-crazed33, Titanium Gold, Aeyes, anime freak yokai, Anonymous, hobbit13, FireFairy032003, Nightlight5, Nozomi and Hotaru, Sakura30, squallwis04, A Watcher, Chrono Cross, Secret9, Rena, The Sylver Kitsune, Helbaworshipper, Zekintha, Una1, Erinamation-limited2-nothing, yokai the tiger demond, Velvet204, Taichi Prime, SabreHero, Crickett, Luthien-Ikari, Al, The Beautiful Disaster, katie-chan, Sapphire Wings 09, Lightning-Dono, HoukaDoragon, JadedKatrina, Sorceress-Fox, justareviewer, DarkShadowFlame, Shadu, TwinSanity, Masked Detective, Wings of a Phoenix, Swiftly and With Style, Scarab Dynasty, Amiasha Ruri, serenity-yugioh-fan05, obsessivefreak998, Mizz-Serenity-Wheeler, Yuki Kinamoto, Angel Spirit, and Keeper of the Times.

Thank you all so, so much.

I'm not sure if this marks my retirement from fanfiction. If any of you have a small project you'd like me to do for you, drop me a review or email, and I just might manage it before school starts again.

Oh... also, Nightlight5, if you don't want your prize, you can pass it to the person who got the riddle after you. Just let me know if you want something written for you—otherwise, I'll email whoever was next on the list.

Please let me know how you liked this—I'd love to hear from you all. Perhaps, if I get some fic requests or some inspiration, I'll see you all again. Otherwise, thanks once more, and adieu.

Your friend,

Mittens no Hikari


	12. Epilogue: Coming Home

Well...

I'm back.

My love for Yu-Gi-Oh and for fanfiction has been kindled anew, and I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things. Because I left "Fading" at kind of a strange spot, I have determined that yes, I will do an epilogue just like I did for "I'm With You."

So—

Here goes.

_Thoughts_

* * *

** Fading**

_Epilogue: Coming Home_

Yami leaned his head against the stone wall and sighed.

He hadn't wanted to admit to Yugi's friends just how much pain he was in. Battering the walls of his own soul room had left his mind—and by extension, his entire essence—riddled with cracks and tears. It had almost hurt more than any other experience of his life.

It didn't come close, though, to how he'd felt when he had thought Yugi was gone.

_I've almost lost him so many times..._ Yami's proud face was replete with sorrow and with shame. He glanced at the still form of his other half, wincing at the sight of the pale, thin face covered with bruises, the sickly red-brown of dried blood all the more vivid against Yugi's pallor.

"Gods..." He didn't even realize he'd spoken aloud until he heard a voice behind him.

"What?"

The spirit of the Pharaoh jolted slightly, whipping around to face whoever had spoken—and immediately wishing he had not, as his weakened spirit cringed at the movement.

He quickly forgot his aches, however, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "Serenity?"

* * *

Serenity covered her mouth with her hand. She hadn't meant to let Yami know she was there—she'd just wanted to check on Yugi and see if maybe his spirit was healing any faster than his battered body. 

The spirit didn't seem angry, though—just startled... and exhausted.

"Serenity, how are you here?" Yami's deep voice held a strange mixture of weariness, wariness, and amusement. A shadow passed over his crimson-violet eyes, and he closed them for the briefest instant.

Serenity took a step closer, feeling her concern increasing substantially. Up close, both Yami and Yugi looked even worse than she'd thought. _They_ both _need about five centuries of rest_... _or maybe five millenia,_ she amended silently as she took in the gray tinge of Yami's tanned skin and the marble-white of Yugi's worn face.

"Serenity?" Serenity jumped; she'd entirely forgotten that Yami had asked her a question. "Oh. I..." she struggled to collect herself. "I slipped the chain over my head, too. It's just big enough."

Yami looked faintly amused. "And I suppose the doctors and nurses are all right with this?"

Serenity shrugged eloquently. "If they knew, I'm sure they would be." She grinned, but the look faded. "How is he?"

Yami glanced at his charge. "It's hard to say." His deep voice faltered. "He has yet to open his eyes."

Serenity approached again, feeling her knees tremble. Tears stung her eyes as she sat cautiously on the edge of Yugi's bed, being careful not to jar the tattered form of the unconscious boy.

"Yugi..." she whispered, hoping against hope that maybe he'd open his eyes and give her the smile that could make her heart melt. _Maybe he'll wake up now and ask why I'm staring at him. Maybe he'll just smile... just once... maybe he'll open his eyes...?_ Serenity bit her lip. For all she'd believed they had saved him... he still reminded her of a painting left outdoors—once vivid, colorful, _alive_, but now battered by gales of wind and faded by torrents of rain.

"I'm sorry, Serenity."

The words were so quiet at first she thought she'd imagined them. Glancing over her shoulder at Yami, however, it was clear he was barely keeping his composure. Tears glittered in his eyes, and his jaw was clenched tightly, his throat working as he struggled to remain in control.

"Sorry for what?" Serenity narrowed her eyes in question, tilting her head ever so slightly to one side as she tried to process his words.

Yami wouldn't look at her. "I failed to watch over him. I should have known what was happening, and I didn't realize until it was far too late."

Serenity shook her head, trying to process his words. "Wait, so you're saying you think this is your fault?"

Yami let out a harsh laugh that was devoid of any and all humor. "I _know_ this is my fault, Serenity. I can realize that much, at least."

Serenity's face twitched slightly. "Yami, you couldn't have known— I mean—" she struggled for words, feeling frustration begin to seep into her thoughts.

Yami cut her off. "I am a part of his soul, Serenity!" His voice grew louder and louder with each word. "I should have known—I shouldn't have listened to him when he said nothing was wrong! If I had, I could have ended this before it began, and instead I had to listen to him fade away and there was nothing in the almighty universe I could do to stop it!"

Serenity flinched backwards, not expecting this torrent of emotion from the normally-reticent Pharaoh. "Yami," she protested. "Would Yugi want you to blame yourself?"

Yami suddenly seemed to deflate. He bowed his head, letting it drop into his hands in weariness. "Would he want to have nearly died again?" he whispered softly, in a broken voice.

"Nope..." came a weak, broken voice that nevertheless emanated both amusement and concern.

Both Serenity and Yami snapped their eyes to the source of the noise so quickly that Serenity could feel a bone crack in her stiff neck. She didn't notice, however—she was too busy drinking in the beautiful, wonderful fact that Yugi's eyes were finally open.

"Yugi!"

Serenity and Yami cried the name in unison, Serenity sliding down the bed to grasp one of Yugi's pale hands, Yami standing quickly, wavering slightly in weakness but circling the bed with long strides to kneel beside his light's bedside.

Yugi blinked, looking slightly bewildered. "Serenity? Yami?"

Serenity raised a trembling hand to touch Yugi's face. Her fingers lightly traced the myriad of cuts, scrapes, and scars covering his pallid features, brushing across his too-prominent cheekbones and down to rest on his thin shoulder.

"Yugi, you're awake..." Yami said softly, a world of tenderness in his tone that Yugi could always seem to elicit from the otherwise-proud Pharaoh.

Yugi nodded and then winced. "I..." He took a deep, shuddering breath, all laughter gone from his large violet eyes. "I didn't think I was going to make it out of this one... I couldn't remember anything by the end..."

"Hush, Yugi." The Pharaoh's tone was gentle. "Even if it were a good idea to relive it, you cannot do so now. You have a long way to go in terms of regaining strength. You very nearly faded away entirely."

Yugi nodded wearily. "I feel that way," he admitted ruefully. A flash of pain jolted across his face, and he slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. "What... happened, exactly?"

Yami's eyes narrowed slightly. "Yugi, you know very well what happened. You could not have _not_ known something was wrong. Why didn't you tell us?"

Yugi sighed; even that insignificant action seemed to weary him. "I felt... different..." he admitted. "But... I thought... I thought I'd be all right, and I didn't want to drag you—_or_ you," to Serenity, "into danger again."

Yami's face darkened. "Please explain to me how you would have 'dragged' us into it if we would have liked nothing better than to be right there in danger with you," he said in a monotone. Then he glanced at Serenity. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to speak for you."

"It's perfectly fine," Serenity said quietly. "You took the words right out of my mouth." She glanced back at Yugi. "Well?"

Yugi swallowed. "I'm not getting out of this one, am I?" he said, his voice nearly inaudible and wavering with exhaustion.

Yami closed his eyes for a brief moment. "Yugi, I am connected to you. You cannot attempt to protect me by keeping me in the dark."

"And I'm just as much connected to you as he is," Serenity added, her voice wavering in spite of herself. "That's obvious, or I wouldn't have been able to summon cards in your soul room."

Yugi blinked. "You did what?"

Serenity flushed. "N- never mind."

Yugi looked about to ask another question, but a shadow of pain flickered across his face and stole the words; just the faintest whisper remained.

"Rest, Yugi," Yami said softly. "We will do the same, but for now, you need to restore yourself."

Serenity curled up beside Yugi, pillowing her head on her hands and leaning her forehead against Yugi's shoulder. "You've got to get better fast, so we can get you out of the hospital and take you home again."

Suddenly, Serenity felt a touch on her cheek, light as a butterfly kiss. She opened her eyes to see Yugi smiling, his face and eyes exhausted but a deep and pure strength shining through regardless.

"I'm with you, and Yami, and the others are nearby," he said softly. Slowly he kissed her forehead and his violet eyes slid closed. "Far as I'm concerned... I'm already home."

* * *

_Fin_

* * *

Okay, now it's really done. Hopefully that was a suitably fuzzy conclusion to my saga. 

I'd love to get some reviews on this, so I can know if I ought to keep on writing here. Have I worn out my welcome, or is there still interest in some more fics?

Let me know what you think—I'd love to hear from you, and if you've got any ideas for what I should write, please let me know.

Thanks so much, and hope to talk to y'all soon.

Mittens no Hikari


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